# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Gateway startup watchdog and checkpoint maintenance fixes

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These issues and fixes address the gateway startup watchdog prematurely killing large installs during pre-logging phases and maintenance operations. The work focuses on ensuring progress leases are held across auto-maintenance, checkpoint GC, and state.db operations so the watchdog does not interrupt valid startup or tool calls.

## TL;DR

- 5 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 2 merged PR(s), 2 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #111460. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #111460 (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-111460`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.40`: 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

- #111092: \[Bug\]: Gateway restart live-lock on large installs — pre-logging startup phases hold no progress leases; startup watchdog kills each attempt (exit 75) before the first log line

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#111460: fix(gateway): startup watchdog no longer kills a large install mid-maintenance and always keeps its stack dump (#111092, salvage #111120 #111124)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `hermes_startup_watchdog.py`, `hermes_state_maintenance.py`, `hermes_state_sessions.py`, `tests/gateway/test_startup_watchdog.py`, `tests/hermes_state/test_startup_maintenance_lease.py`, `website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md`
- **#112063: Checkpoint store gc no longer stalls tool calls, gateway startup or hermes update (refs #79334, supersedes #79335, #111980)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `cli.py`, `gateway/run.py`, `hermes_cli/config_defaults.py`, `tests/gateway/test_checkpoint_prune_housekeeping.py`, `tests/tools/test_checkpoint_manager.py`, `tools/checkpoint_manager.py`, `website/docs/user-guide/checkpoints-and-rollback.md`
- **#111120: fix(gateway): hold startup-watchdog progress leases across state.db auto-maintenance**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`
- **#111980: fix(gateway): checkpoint auto-prune also renews the startup watchdog lease**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `804707bea620b`, `#111460`, `#112063`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #111460 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-09-15`.