iMessage Hermes on a Raspberry Pi vs AI Eyes
Comprehensive feature analysis, ratings breakdown, platform compatibility, and community review comparison.
iMessage Hermes on a Raspberry Pi
An always-on AI agent that lives in your home
Detailed Feature Comparison Matrix
Compare Other Tools| Dimension | iMessage Hermes on a Raspberry Pi |  AI Eyes |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Category | Open Source | Open Source |
| Community Rating | No ratings(0 reviews) | No ratings(0 reviews) |
| Community Upvotes | 98 votes | 63 votes |
| Supported Platforms | Web | Web |
| Tags & Focus | #Artificial Intelligence#Open Source#GitHub#Bots | #Developer Tools#Open Source#Privacy#OpenAI Day |
| Maker / Company | Independent Developer | Independent Developer |
| Platform Verification | Community Listing | Community Listing |
About iMessage Hermes on a Raspberry Pi
iMessage Hermes on a Raspberry Pi is an innovative, open-source project that brings an always-on AI agent directly into your home. Operating on an affordable Raspberry Pi, this setup provides a dedicated, real phone number allowing you to text your home AI via iMessage or SMS from anywhere in the world.
Powered by the open-source agent Hermes, the system features a unique installation method where you simply hand the setup guide to a coding agent working over SSH. Designed as a flexible foundation, it enables you to build custom smart home utilities—such as a kitchen family calendar, a fridge recipe helper, or any other creative concept you dream up. The team builds in public, with an active community on Discord where users share their custom creations.
Pros of iMessage Hermes on a Raspberry Pi
- Always-on AI agent running locally in your home on an affordable Raspberry Pi
- Accessible from anywhere using a real phone number via iMessage or SMS
- Built on Hermes, an open-source AI agent framework
- Innovative installation process using a coding agent working over SSH
- Acts as a customizable foundation for smart home projects like calendars and recipe helpers
Cons of iMessage Hermes on a Raspberry Pi
- Requires a Raspberry Pi hardware setup to run
- Setup involves technical steps like working over SSH with a coding agent
- Custom applications (like kitchen screens or recipe helpers) require building out your own foundations beyond the base install
Frequently Asked Questions
What is iMessage Hermes on a Raspberry Pi?
It is an always-on open-source AI agent that runs on a Raspberry Pi in your home. It provides a real phone number so you can text it using iMessage or SMS from anywhere.
How do you install it?
It installs by handing the setup guide to a coding agent that works over SSH.
What can you build with it?
It serves as a foundation for custom home projects, allowing you to build things like a family calendar on a kitchen screen, a recipe helper on the fridge, or other custom ideas.
Is it open source?
Yes, it runs Hermes, an open-source agent, and the creators build in public with an active community on Discord.
About AI Eyes
AI Eyes is a permission-first co-presence prototype designed for AI companions. Created by developer Deen Storkey, this open-source tool establishes a privacy-focused, local-first foundation for managing what your digital companions can see and hear.
With its initial v0.1 release, AI Eyes allows users to choose a specific screen or window to capture and gives granular, separate controls for screen, system audio, and microphone inputs. The interface makes it easy to invite named companions and ensures transparency by always displaying when sensing is active. Users can pause or end sessions at any time; ending a session immediately stops all media tracks and resets the session completely.
Built using Codex and GPT-5.6, this prototype is focused entirely on local-first permission, presence, and session-control. Please note that in this foundational stage, no external AI provider or semantic understanding has been connected yet.
Pros of AI Eyes
- Privacy-focused, local-first permission architecture
- Separate, granular control over screen, system audio, and microphone capture
- Clear visual indicators showing when active sensing is occurring
- Open-source code base allowing developers to review and build upon the prototype
Cons of AI Eyes
- It is a prototype (v0.1) and does not yet have an active AI provider or semantic understanding connected
- Limited to foundational capture and session-control features at this stage
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AI Eyes?
AI Eyes is an open-source, permission-first co-presence prototype built to manage what AI companions can access. It provides local-first controls over screen sharing, audio, and session state.
Does AI Eyes currently analyze my screen or voice?
No. In the v0.1 release, no AI provider or semantic understanding is connected. The prototype is currently a local-first foundation focused on permission, capture, presence, and session-control.
How do I control my privacy while using AI Eyes?
AI Eyes lets you choose exactly which screen or window to capture and gives you separate toggle controls for your screen, system audio, and microphone. There is also a clear indicator to show when sensing is active, and you can pause or end the session to stop all media tracks instantly.
What technologies were used to build AI Eyes?
The AI Eyes prototype was built using Codex and GPT-5.6.