A complete, beginner-friendly guide to setting up two powerful open-source AI coding agents side-by-side in a Multipass VM — with zero cost, no API keys required.
Built for students and new developers. Every command is copy-pasteable. No prior experience required.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| AI-Coding-Agents-Setup-Guide.md | Start here. Full step-by-step install guide (16 parts) — Multipass VM, Pi, Hermes, free provider options, tmux workflow, glossary |
| agent-vm-init.yaml | Cloud-init config file — auto-installs Node.js, Pi, Python, and Hermes inside the VM |
| EXTRAS-Free-Tools-Tips-Resources.md | More free tools (LM Studio, VS Code + Continue/Cline, OpenRouter, Aider, Gemini CLI), cheat sheets, learning path, privacy tips |
| VM-Guide-Files-Security-Best-Practices.md | How to move files in/out of VMs, security considerations, snapshots & backups, networking, resource management |
| PROMPTING-Guide-How-To-Talk-To-Agents.md | How to write good prompts, worked example building a project in Pi, Hermes skills workflow, prompt templates, handling mistakes |
| README.md | You're reading it |
- Setup Guide — get everything installed and running
- Prompting Guide — learn how to actually use the agents effectively
- Extras — explore more free tools and plan your learning path
- VM Guide — understand files, security, and VM management
Pi Coding Agent (v0.65.x) — Minimal, fast, terminal-based coding agent with session branching, extensions, and skills. Four core tools: read, write, edit, bash. Best for hands-on coding.
Hermes Agent (v0.8.0) — Self-improving autonomous agent with persistent memory, messaging gateway (Telegram/Discord/Slack), 40+ built-in tools, skill creation, and cron scheduling. Best for research, long-running tasks, and cross-session knowledge.
| Option | Type | Account Needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Ollama | Local (runs on your computer) | No |
| LM Studio | Local (GUI app) | No |
| Canonical Inference Snaps | Local (auto-detects hardware) | No |
| Google Gemini CLI | Cloud (free tier) | Google account |
| Google AI Studio API | Cloud (free tier) | Google account |
| Nous Portal | Cloud (free tier) | Nous account |
| LLM Checker | Hardware scanner + model recommender | No |
# 1. Install Multipass
sudo snap install multipass
# 2. Create the cloud-init file (or download agent-vm-init.yaml from this repo)
# 3. Launch the VM
multipass launch 24.04 --name agents --cpus 4 --memory 8G --disk 40G --cloud-init ~/agent-vm-init.yaml
# 4. Wait 10-15 min for install, then enter the VM
multipass shell agents
# 5. Run the agents
pi # coding agent (left tmux pane)
hermes # autonomous agent (right tmux pane)See the full setup guide for provider configuration, tmux workflow, and troubleshooting.
- Students learning to code with AI assistance
- New developers exploring AI coding agents for the first time
- Teachers who want a ready-made resource for their classes
- Anyone curious about local AI tools without spending money
Found an error? Have a suggestion? Contributions welcome via Issues or Pull Requests.
Created April 2026 by edutechminds Pi: https://github.com/badlogic/pi-mono/tree/main/packages/coding-agent Hermes: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent