# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Kanban protocol-violation on clean worker exit handling

## Open now

- 3 issues, 0 PRs open on GitHub.
- #27178: Kanban worker reports 'protocol_violation' when agent ends turn with text response instead of calling kanban_complete/kanban_block
- #27924: \[Bug\]: Clean-exit protocol violation blocks downstream pipeline tasks when workers complete silently
- #63504: Kanban dan-pr worker crashes/protocol violation block JTAPI show-tech fix

Multiple bugs, fixes, and features addressing how the Kanban dispatcher handles workers that exit with rc=0 without calling kanban_complete or kanban_block, which incorrectly triggers protocol_violation errors, blocks tasks, and buries real errors. Members cover detection, retry logic, error surfacing, and downstream pipeline impact.

## TL;DR

- 13 member(s): 3 open issue(s), 5 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 4 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #112618. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #112618 (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: `unresolved`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_PARTIAL`): some members are connected by structural evidence (shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference); the rest are joined by an automated relevance judgement over their text.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 `0.11`: 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

- #27178: Kanban worker reports 'protocol_violation' when agent ends turn with text response instead of calling kanban_complete/kanban_block
- #27924: \[Bug\]: Clean-exit protocol violation blocks downstream pipeline tasks when workers complete silently
- #63504: Kanban dan-pr worker crashes/protocol violation block JTAPI show-tech fix

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #32747: Protocol violations (rc=0 without complete/block) don't increment failure_limit counter
- #44812: Kanban dispatcher misclassifies rc=0 worker exits as protocol_violation (new in-the-wild data, 270 events / 160 blocked tasks)
- #46593: kanban: worker exits rc=0 without calling \`kanban_complete\` shows unhelpful 'protocol violation' — real error buried in logs
- #46889: kanban: worker exits rc=0 without calling \`kanban_complete\` shows unhelpful 'protocol violation' — real error buried in logs
- #47893: dispatcher treats clean worker exit (rc=0) without kanban_complete/kanban_block as protocol_violation and reverts done → blocked

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#34193: fix(kanban): checkpoint reminder before worker exits with text response (closes #27178)**. closed without merge · fix tier `suggested`
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#34217`, `#1`
- **#34324: fix(cron): make protocol_violation blocks sticky to break respawn loop**. 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._
- **#112618: Kanban board shows the worker's own last output on protocol violations and crashes (#88603, #46593, salvage #88815)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `hermes_cli/kanban_db_dispatch.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_core_functionality.py`, `website/docs/user-guide/features/kanban.md`
- **#46985: fix(kanban): surface real worker error instead of bare "protocol violation"**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `2cfb655d52`, `#112618`, `#88815`, `#88603`
- **#59411: \[codex\] block unclosed Kanban workers and preserve gave_up**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `452861fdc1825702198f743c116513107f3b4831`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #112618 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-09-16`.
- Subsystem: `cron`