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2026-05-02 — GitHub - hermes-novel-generator - README

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hermes-novel-generator

Hermes Novel Generator Skill

A multi-agent novel generation system for Hermes Agent. Generate full novels — from seed concept to published EPUB — using a pipeline of specialized AI agents.

What It Does

  • Orchestrator → Plans the novel outline, tracks progress, manages state
  • Storyteller/DM → Writes scene briefs, weaves character strategies into prose
  • Character Agents → Generate independent scene strategies (what they'd do/say), then review woven prose for authenticity
  • Lore Auditor → Checks continuity, world rules, knowledge leaks, pacing, themes
  • Prose Stylist → Polishes prose without changing narrative content

The Scene Sandbox Model

Characters are active participants, not passive reviewers:

  1. Storyteller writes the scene brief
  2. Each character agent plans their strategy in isolation — they don't see other characters' plans
  3. Storyteller receives all strategies and weaves them into prose
  4. Character agents do a voice-check pass on the woven draft

This preserves independent agency (characters can surprise the Storyteller) while keeping prose natural.

Install

hermes skills install rwcrosk-arch/hermes-novel-generator/creative/novel-generator

Or browse the Skills Hub:

hermes skills search novel-generator
hermes skills install novel-generator

Quick Start

Once installed, tell your Hermes agent:

Generate a novel with the seed: "A lone astronaut discovers an ancient machine on Mars"

Or with options:

Generate a novel — seed: "A lone astronaut discovers an ancient machine on Mars",
genre: scifi, target: short_novel, chapters: 10

Length Targets

| Target | Words | Paperback Pages | Chapters | Scenes/Ch | |--------|-------|-----------------|----------|-----------| | novella | 30,000 | ~110 | 5-7 | 2-3 | | short_novel | 60,000 | ~220 | 8-12 | 3-4 | | novel | 80,000 | ~290 | 12-15 | 3-5 | | epic | 100,000+ | ~365+ | 15-20 | 4-6 |

Default: short_novel (~60k words, ~220 pages).

File Structure

creative/novel-generator/
  SKILL.md                          → Main skill document (procedural guide)
  prompts/
    orchestrator.md                 → Orchestrator agent prompt
    storyteller.md                  → Storyteller agent prompt
    character_agent.md              → Character agent prompt (strategy + voice-check)
    lore_auditor.md                 → Lore Auditor agent prompt
    prose_stylist.md                → Prose Stylist agent prompt
  scripts/
    dashboard.py                    → Live/static progress dashboard
    progress.py                     → Progress tracking + archive utilities
    publish.py                      → Cover overlay + EPUB assembly
    generate_cover.py               → AI cover generation via diffusers
  references/
    multi_agent_novel_plan.md       → Full architectural specification

How It Works

The skill is a procedural guide for the Hermes assistant. The assistant follows the steps in SKILL.md, spawning specialized sub-agents via delegate_task at each stage:

  1. Outline → Assistant generates novel_state.yaml with full outline, characters, world
  2. Per Chapter → Delegate to Storyteller for scene briefs
  3. Per Scene → Delegate to Character Agents for strategies → Delegate to Storyteller for weaving → Delegate to Character Agents for voice-check → Delegate to Lore Auditor → Delegate to Prose Stylist
  4. State Update → Assistant updates novel_state.yaml with versioned validation
  5. Dashboard → Scripts regenerate progress tracking

Note: delegate_task is an assistant-native tool. It cannot be imported in Python scripts. The assistant orchestrates the pipeline manually using the skill as a guide.

Prerequisites

The supporting scripts need:

pip install pyyaml ebooklib Pillow
# Optional (for cover generation):
pip install diffusers accelerate torch

Publishing Pipeline

After the novel is complete:

cd novel_project
python3 scripts/generate_cover.py --seed 42    # AI cover
python3 scripts/publish.py --all               # Title overlay + EPUB

Output: output/Your_Novel_Title.epub with embedded cover and styled chapters.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

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