Buzz Slack Alternative: 3 Ways To Run AI Agents In It

There are exactly three ways to turn Buzz — the Slack alternative built for AI agents — into a workspace where your agents actually do the work, and I've tested all three this week.

One takes zero setup when it behaves.

One gives your agent a hosted identity in your channels.

And one turns Buzz into a full external platform for your whole agent operating system.

This post is the complete walkthrough: which method to pick, the exact steps for each, and the two fixes for the problems I hit along the way.

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First: What Makes Buzz A Slack Alternative Worth Setting Up?

Buzz is an AI-powered workspace you download from buzz.xyz.

It has everything you'd expect from Slack: channels, DMs, threads, and reactions.

Then it adds the thing Slack never will: AI agents as native members.

You can plug in Claude, Codex, and now Hermes Agent, and you can invite humans directly alongside them.

There's also scheduled task delivery, so recurring work lands with an agent automatically.

The result is a workspace where a message in a channel can become finished work in the same thread.

That's the promise — now here's how to wire it up.

Method 1: Buzz Desktop Auto-Discovery (Fastest, With One Catch)

Buzz Desktop auto-discovers your local Hermes install and adds it as a runtime.

When it works, this is the zero-effort route.

Here's the catch: in my test, it didn't work first time.

I opened the agents panel and Hermes hadn't been auto-discovered at all.

The fix when auto-discovery fails

The solution took under a minute.

First, update Hermes — an outdated install is the number one reason Buzz can't see it.

Second, make sure Hermes ACP is set up.

If you're not technical, you don't need to do this yourself — I got Claude to help me set it up, and you can ask any capable agent to do the same.

Third, go into Buzz's Settings, click Add Runtimes, and install Hermes Agent directly from the list.

Done — Hermes shows up as a runtime and you're connected.

Method 2: The Relay Bridge (Hosted Identity, Zero Rebuild)

The relay bridge gives Hermes a hosted identity that joins your Buzz channels, while Buzz's own harness owns the transport.

Here's why that wording matters.

Your agent appears in channels using the same config, credentials, memory, and skills as the Hermes you host locally.

Everything you've invested in your agent — every skill, every credential, every memory — carries straight into Buzz.

You rebuild nothing.

If your agent's memory setup isn't dialled in yet, my Hermes second brain guide is the place to start, because that's what makes a hosted identity actually useful.

Method 3: The Hermes Gateway (Full Platform Mode)

This is the big one, and the method I recommend.

There's a bundled Buzz platform plugin that makes Buzz available as a gateway platform — channels, DMs, threads, reactions, and scheduled task delivery, all flowing through your Hermes Gateway.

The exact setup steps

Update Hermes first — the Buzz option only appears on a current install.
Run hermes gateway setup.
Select Buzz from the platform list.
Enter the relay URL, which is your community URL from the hosted community section inside Buzz's settings.
Leave the channel UUIDs to watch empty — that makes the agent join ALL channels.
Allow all community members to talk to the agent.
Hit done, then restart the gateway to pick up the changes.

After the restart, check your agent runtimes — Hermes Agent should now be listed.

Set Hermes as the default provider

One more step makes the whole workspace run on your agent.

Go to Settings → Agents → Agent Defaults, select Hermes Agent, tweak the advanced variables if you want, and hit save defaults.

Now every channel defaults to Hermes as the provider, and you can just tag in the agents you want to talk to.

This is the same gateway system that powers the wider Hermes Agent OS, so if you've set up any other platform through it, this will feel familiar.

Which Method Should You Pick?

Method	Setup time	Best for	Weak spot
Desktop auto-discovery	Instant (when it works)	Trying Buzz quickly	Detection can fail on outdated installs
Relay bridge	A few minutes	Agent identity in channels	Buzz owns the transport
Hermes Gateway	~2 minutes	Full platform: DMs, threads, scheduled tasks	Needs updated Hermes + ACP

My honest recommendation: gateway for anything serious, auto-discovery for a quick look.

The relay bridge shines when you want your exact local agent identity present in channels without running the full platform.

The Free Model Trick

Whichever method you pick, here's the move that makes this Buzz Slack alternative effectively free.

Once Hermes is the default provider, you can switch the model behind it.

Free options work — for example, Ling 3.0 through a free API.

So the full stack costs nothing: free workspace, free agent, free model.

If you want to go fully local instead, pair this with Hermes + Ollama and the model never leaves your machine.

Bonus: Flip It Around And Let Hermes Drive Buzz

There's a fourth pattern that isn't really a connection method — it's a control method.

You can ask Hermes to use Buzz locally, as an app.

I tested it: I asked my agent to send a test message in Buzz, and it wrote "ignore me" inside the app as a draft without sending it.

That means Hermes can operate Buzz the way you would — clicking, typing, managing.

And because Hermes connects to Telegram and other messaging platforms, you can trigger all of this from your phone.

Your agent brings its keys, credentials, memory, and skills along, wherever you message it from.

Run a Hermes swarm on top and you've got multiple agents coordinating inside a workspace your whole team can see.

🔥 Want every one of these setups as a step-by-step video? Inside the AI Profit Boardroom you'll find the Buzz masterclass, the full Hermes Agent OS, weekly coaching calls where you can share your screen, and 3,600+ members to learn alongside. → Join the Boardroom

FAQ: Buzz Slack Alternative Setup

What are the three ways to connect Hermes to Buzz?

Buzz Desktop auto-discovery, a relay bridge that gives Hermes a hosted identity in your channels, and the Hermes Gateway that makes Buzz a full external platform with channels, DMs, threads, reactions, and scheduled task delivery.

Why didn't Buzz auto-discover my Hermes install?

Almost always because Hermes is outdated or ACP isn't set up. Update Hermes, configure ACP, then add it manually via Settings → Add Runtimes.

What do I enter as the relay URL in the gateway setup?

Your community URL — you'll find it in the hosted community section inside Buzz's settings.

Should I list channel UUIDs during setup?

Leave the field empty if you want the agent to join all channels. Only list UUIDs if you want to restrict it to specific ones.

Can I run the Buzz Slack alternative for free?

Yes — Buzz from buzz.xyz, Hermes as the agent, and a free model like Ling 3.0 via a free API. The whole stack can cost nothing.

Do I need to be technical to set this up?

No. The setup is genuinely two minutes if you follow the steps, and for the fiddly parts like ACP you can get Claude or another agent to do it for you.

About Julian

I'm Julian Goldie — AI entrepreneur, SEO expert, and founder of the AI Profit Boardroom (3,600+ members). I help business owners scale with AI agents, automation, and SEO.