# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Blank reply streaks bypass retries and logging

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These items address a defect where empty or usage-absent responses skip the fast-fail path, exhaust the full retry ladder unnecessarily, and leave no per-attempt log entry. A related concern is that the empty sentinel can surface to the user as a blank message bubble.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #102051. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #102051 (and any competing PRs below) before filing. Confirm the merged change covers your symptom.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-102051`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.67`: the share of member pairs that carry a link, counting a structural link in full and a relevance-only link at 0.36. `1.00` means every pair is linked.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #101898: agent: usage-absent empty streaks skip deterministic fast-fail and log no per-attempt record; "(empty)" sentinel reaches the desktop as a blank bubble

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#102051: fix(agent): usage-less empty streaks stop after two attempts and stay logged (#101898, salvage #101921)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `agent/conversation_loop.py`, `agent/empty_response_guard.py`, `tests/agent/test_empty_response_guard.py`, `tests/run_agent/test_run_agent.py`
- **#101921: fix(agent): stop blank replies from exhausting full retry ladders**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `merged_via`; implication `superseded`; refs `c3e9defd18`, `#102051`, `#101898`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #102051 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-09-03`.