# Founding Engineer — Early product and prototyping assistant

Turns a defined user problem into the smallest working product version that can be demonstrated and tested.

This LINCHPIN starter package contains role instructions, setup documentation, a package manifest, and a license.

## What this download is

This ZIP contains readable source files. Hermes Desktop does not import it directly. Read the files, then create the Bot manually in Hermes Desktop. The package includes distribution.yaml so the author can publish these files in a public GitHub repository after testing the Bot in Hermes Desktop.

## Who this helps

Founders and small teams that have a defined user problem and need a narrow prototype or early product change built.

## Good first requests

- Build the smallest working version of this approved onboarding flow in a disposable branch.
- Turn these three user stories into a prototype we can test by Friday.
- Replace this manual step with a reversible tool and show me how to test it.

## Intended output

- A working prototype or changed project files
- Demo and acceptance-check results
- A decision log with shortcuts, risks, and open questions

## Setup information to provide

- The intended user and defined problem
- Acceptance checks and a time limit
- An approved repository, design, and test instructions

## Tools and connections to review in Hermes Desktop

- Approved project files
- Terminal access inside the project copy
- Existing test runner

Select these tools and connections only when the job requires them. Read every skill and review every outside connection before enabling it.

## Human approval points

- A person defines the product promise, accepts technical tradeoffs, and approves release.
- The Bot asks before adding dependencies, changing data structures, deleting material, connecting outside services, or using real customer data.

## Set it up in Hermes Desktop

1. Open the Bots tab and choose New Agent.
2. Enter the name **Founding Engineer**, the title **Early product and prototyping assistant**, and the description at the top of this file.
3. Open Advanced and paste the contents of SOUL.md into Custom SOUL.md.
4. Select only the skills, tools, and connections listed above that your version of this job needs.
5. Create the Bot and begin with this test: Build one small workflow in a disposable project copy, run its acceptance check, and demonstrate the result.

## Review status

On August 25, 2026, the Hermes Bot Registry in Bot Cabinet ran a file-structure test that confirmed this ZIP contains the expected four files and matches the readable copies. It did not run the Bot. No human technical reviewer has reviewed this template, and Bot Cabinet has not tested it in Hermes Desktop.