# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Unreadable plugin manifests crash or block startup

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These items address a bug where unreadable plugin directories or manifests (e.g. due to permission errors) could abort plugin discovery or prevent Hermes Desktop from booting. Fixes involve skipping or recovering from unreadable entries rather than halting the process.

## TL;DR

- 4 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 2 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #112546. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #112546 (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-112546`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.50`: 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

- #111804: \[Bug\]: Unreadable plugin manifest can prevent Hermes Desktop from starting (WinError 5 during plugin discovery)

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#112293: fix(plugins): one unreadable plugin dir no longer aborts discovery or Desktop boot (#111804, salvage #111807)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `apps/desktop/electron/desktop-plugins-root.test.ts`, `apps/desktop/electron/desktop-plugins-root.ts`, `hermes_cli/plugins_cmd.py`, `hermes_cli/plugins_discovery.py`, `hermes_cli/web_server_dashboard.py`, `plugins/memory/__init__.py`, `plugins/plugin_loader.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_plugins_cmd_list.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_web_server.py`, `tests/plugins/memory/test_discovery_sources.py`, `tests/plugins/test_plugin_loader_unreadable.py`
- **#112546: hermes plugins install rolls back or repairs an unreadable plugin tree instead of shipping it (#111804)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `hermes_cli/plugins_cmd.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_plugins_cmd.py`
- **#111807: fix(dashboard): skip unreadable plugin manifests**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `merged_via`; implication `superseded`; refs `b74f158b0d`, `#112293`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #112546 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-09-16`.