# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Kill orphaned subprocess after post-spawn setup error

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These issues and PRs address a bug where a spawned subprocess (Popen) is left orphaned if setup steps after spawning encounter errors. The fixes ensure the process is killed in that error path to prevent resource leaks.

## TL;DR

- 4 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 2 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #22850. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #22850 (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-22850`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.50`: 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

- #2749: \[Bug\]: Subprocess leak on post-Popen setup failure in process_registry

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#22850: fix(process_registry): kill orphaned Popen on post-spawn setup failure (salvage #22628)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `tests/tools/test_process_registry.py`, `tools/process_registry.py`
- **#2756: fix(tools): prevent subprocess leak on post-Popen setup failure**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `53ec32819`, `#2749`
- **#22628: fix(process_registry): kill orphaned Popen on post-spawn setup failure**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `merged_via`; implication `superseded`; refs `#22850`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #22850 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-05-10`.
- Subsystem: `environments`