# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Fix sudo authentication in background processes

## Open now

- 1 issue, 2 PRs open on GitHub.
- #133622: \[Bug\]: \`sudo\` in a background process can never authenticate or prompt (local \`spawn_local\` skips the sudo rewrite; stdin is /dev/null)
- PR #133629: fix(tools): give background sudo a password path instead of a PAM-burning EOF
- PR #134324: fix(terminal)

These items address a bug where sudo invoked in a background process cannot authenticate, because the local spawn path skips the sudo rewrite and stdin is /dev/null. The fixes involve supplying a proper password path rather than an EOF that burns PAM.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 1 open issue(s), 0 closed issue(s), 2 open PR(s), 0 merged PR(s), 0 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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

- #133622: \[Bug\]: \`sudo\` in a background process can never authenticate or prompt (local \`spawn_local\` skips the sudo rewrite; stdin is /dev/null)

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#133629: fix(tools): give background sudo a password path instead of a PAM-burning EOF**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#133622`
  - files: `tests/tools/test_process_registry_background_sudo.py`, `tools/process_registry.py`
- **#134324: fix(terminal)**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `silent_close`; implication `active`
  - files: `tests/tools/test_background_sudo_password.py`, `tools/process_registry.py`

## Fix status

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