# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Cron job storing skills as stringified list repr

## Open now

- 1 issue, 2 PRs open on GitHub.
- #132867: \[Bug\]: cronjob tool can persist \`skills\` as the Python repr of a list — no read path heals it, so the skills silently never load
- PR #132974: fix(cron): unwrap list-repr skills strings instead of storing a bogus skill name
- PR #137352: fix(cron): heal skills stored as a stringified list; doctor flags the stored shape

A bug where the cron job tool persists skills as the Python repr of a list (e.g., "\['skill1', 'skill2'\]") rather than proper values, causing skills to silently fail to load. The members cover the bug report and fixes to unwrap or heal the malformed stored shape, including a doctor flag for detection.

## TL;DR

- 4 member(s): 1 open issue(s), 0 closed issue(s), 2 open PR(s), 0 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- No fix has been merged to main; one or more PRs were attempted (see below).
- **Recommended:** review the prior/competing PR(s) below. A fix was attempted but not merged; your case may extend or revive that work.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `unresolved`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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.

## Open related issues

- #132867: \[Bug\]: cronjob tool can persist \`skills\` as the Python repr of a list — no read path heals it, so the skills silently never load

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#132674: fix(cron): heal skills stored as a stringified list; doctor flags the stored shape**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#132974`, `#132974`
- **#132974: fix(cron): unwrap list-repr skills strings instead of storing a bogus skill name**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `33558c0969`, `#132867`
  - files: `cron/jobs.py`, `cron/scheduler_prompt.py`, `cron/skill_lists.py`, `hermes_cli/cron.py`, `tests/cron/test_cronjob_skills_repr.py`, `tests/cron/test_skill_lists.py`, `tools/cronjob_job_args.py`
- **#137352: fix(cron): heal skills stored as a stringified list; doctor flags the stored shape**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#132674`
  - files: `cron/jobs.py`, `cron/scheduler_prompt.py`, `cron/skill_lists.py`, `hermes_cli/cron.py`, `tests/cron/test_skills_stringified_list_heal.py`, `tests/cron/test_upgrade_module_skew.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_cron.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_cron_doctor_stringified_skills.py`, `tests/tools/test_cronjob_skills_heal.py`, `tools/cronjob_job_args.py`

## Fix status

- No merged fix on record.
- Subsystem: `cron`