# NousResearch/hermes-agent · LSP idle subprocess reaping and memory leak

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These issues and pull requests concern LSP language-server processes that are never terminated when idle, causing unbounded memory accumulation in long-running sessions. The work involves adding or enforcing an idle timeout and background reaper to shut down inactive language-server subprocesses.

## TL;DR

- 17 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 4 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 12 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #74058. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #74058 (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: `partially_resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-74058`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_PARTIAL`): some members are connected by structural evidence (shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference); the rest are joined by an automated relevance judgement over their text.
- Members outside that structural core may belong to a different underlying problem.
- Pairwise link density `0.16`: 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

- #25016: lsp: idle subprocesses are never reaped — long-lived gateways accumulate ~200 MB per server forever
- #36681: LSP language-server processes accumulate indefinitely in long-running gateways (missing idle reaper)
- #38365: LSP idle timeout is declared but not enforced, leaving TypeScript tsserver processes alive
- #47314: \[Feature\]: Add idle timeout for LSP processes to reduce memory footprint

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#25021: fix(lsp): add idle-subprocess reaper to reclaim memory during long sessions**. closed without merge · fix tier `suggested`
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`
  - _suggested-tier fix detail withheld; re-request with `?tier=all` to include it._
- **#74058: fix(lsp): reap idle language servers (salvage #64141, closes #25016)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `agent/lsp/eventlog.py`, `agent/lsp/manager.py`, `contributors/emails/[redacted:email]`, `hermes_cli/config.py`, `tests/agent/lsp/test_service.py`, `website/docs/user-guide/features/lsp.md`
- **#25109: fix: reap idle LSP subprocesses to stop memory leak**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#74058`, `#25016`
- **#36684: Fix LSP idle reaper: add background task to reap idle language-server clients**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#74058`, `#64141`, `#25016`
- **#36892: fix(lsp): reap idle language-server clients**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#74058`, `#25016`
- **#47332: feat(lsp): add idle timeout to shut down inactive LSP clients**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#74058`, `#25016`
- **#52751: fix(lsp): add idle client reaper to prevent memory leak**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#74058`, `#25016`
- **#53430: fix(lsp): reap idle language servers (DEFAULT_IDLE_TIMEOUT was never enforced)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#36684`, `#36684`, `#36681`, `#25016`, `#52751`, `#36684`
- **#62995: fix(lsp): reap idle servers and terminate process groups**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#74058`, `#25016`
- **#64980: fix(lsp): bound language-server lifecycle safely**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#25016`, `#74058`, `#64141`, `#25016`
- **#68091: fix: reap idle LSP clients**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#74058`, `#25016`
- **#73057: fix(lsp): add idle subprocess reaper (#25016)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#36684`, `#25016`, `#36684`
- **#73794: fix(lsp): add idle subprocess reaper to reclaim memory (#25016)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#36684`, `#25016`, `#36684`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #74058 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-07-29`.
- Subsystem: `agent/lsp`