Visual workflows for agents that control a VM
A builder created node-based workflows where agents operate a real virtual machine's desktop apps step by step.
- Agent or tool
- Custom agent
- Topic
- Automation
- Reported on
- Hacker News
- Added
- 2026-10-15
Why it matters
Automation used to mean wiring up rigid rules. Agents can handle the messy, in-between steps that rules miss, which makes many more workflows worth automating. It is one of 19 sightings filed under Automation on Agent Sightings (number 9 by interest), and one of 182 involving Custom agent.
How you could try it
Here is a reusable prompt, written by us in our own words, that captures the task. Paste it into your own agent or any similar agent and adjust the details to your situation.
On the VM, open the spreadsheet app, import this CSV, create a pivot by month, and save a screenshot of the result.
Tip: Start small: run it once on a low-stakes example, read what the agent did, and only then let it run on real work.
Source
Read the original first-hand account on Hacker News: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48100204. Our summary is a paraphrase; details are in the source.