# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Windows desktop update exit 124 excessive node spawns fix

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

A bug caused Windows desktop updates to always exit with code 124 because assert-dist-built spawned a separate node --check process for each renderer chunk (~960 spawns, twice), overwhelming the system past the idle watchdog timeout. Fixes address batching the checks into one child process and treating a completed update killed with exit 124 as terminal.

## 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 #130729. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #130729 (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-130729`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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

- #123216: \[Bug\]: Windows Desktop update always exits 124 - assert-dist-built spawns one node --check per renderer chunk (~960 spawns, twice), silent far past the 600s idle watchdog

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#130729: Desktop update no longer spends minutes syntax-checking renderer chunks one Node process at a time (salvage #127400, #125201)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `apps/desktop/package.json`, `apps/desktop/scripts/assert-dist-built.mjs`, `apps/desktop/scripts/check-chunks-parse.mjs`, `contributors/emails/[redacted:email]`, `hermes_cli/source_build.py`, `nix/desktop.nix`, `tests-js/renderer-syntax-node.test.mjs`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_source_build.py`
- **#131001: Finished updates stay finished: no same-commit re-run on launch, Windows exit 124 after completion is success (salvage #123863, #127198)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `hermes_cli/post_update.py`, `hermes_cli/source_stamp.py`, `hermes_cli/venv_sync.py`, `scripts/desktop-update/windows.ps1`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_update_launch_completion.py`, `tests/scripts/desktop_update/test_desktop_update_windows_python_handoff.py`
- **#123228: fix(desktop): verify all renderer chunks in one node child (Windows update exit 124)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`
- **#127198: fix(desktop-update): a completed update killed with exit 124 is terminal — never re-run (#96205, #123216)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `merged_via`; implication `superseded`; refs `7f7e1ab402d5cd1d60347840dec858f30a43c91d`, `#131001`, `#96205`, `#130729`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #130729 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-10-02`.