# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Windows concurrent-instance detection excludes launcher-shim ancestors

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

A bug where \`hermes update\` incorrectly reports another instance running on Windows, caused by the launcher shim PID not being excluded from concurrent-instance detection. Most members address fixes to exclude the parent process chain from that check, with one unrelated entry about gating checkpoint preflight on block_result.

## TL;DR

- 5 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 3 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #35255. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #35255 (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-35255`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.40`: 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

- #29341: \[Bug\]:  Windows: \\hermes update\` always reports "Another hermes.exe is running" — launcher shim PID not excluded from concurrent-instance detection\`

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#31806: fix(cli/windows): exclude parent process chain from concurrent-instance detection (salvage of #31712)**. merged to main · fix tier `suggested`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - _suggested-tier fix detail withheld; re-request with `?tier=all` to include it._
- **#35255: fix(run_agent): gate concurrent checkpoint preflight on block_result (fixes #34827)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `agent/tool_executor.py`, `tests/run_agent/test_run_agent.py`
  - fix hunks:
  - `agent/tool_executor.py`

    ```diff
    @@ -180,28 +180,9 @@ def execute_tool_calls_concurrent(agent, assistant_message, messages: list, effe
             except Exception:
                 pass
     
    -        # Checkpoint for file-mutating tools
    -        if function_name in {"write_file", "patch"} and agent._checkpoint_mgr.enabled:
    -            try:
    -                file_path = function_args.get("path", "")
    -                if file_path:
    -                    work_dir = agent._checkpoint_mgr.get_working_dir_for_path(file_path)
    -                    agent._checkpoint_mgr.ensure_checkpoint(work_dir, f"before {function_name}")
    -            except Exception:
    -                pass
    -
    -        # Checkpoint before destructive terminal commands
    -        if function_name == "terminal" and agent._checkpoint_mgr.enabled:
    -            try:
    -                cmd = function_args.get("command", "")
    -                if _is_destructive_command(cmd):
    -                    cwd = function_args.get("workdir") or os.getenv("TERMINAL_CWD", os.getcwd())
    -                    agent._checkpoint_mgr.ensure_checkpoint(
    -                        cwd, f"before terminal: {cmd[:60]}"
    -                    )
    -            except Exception:
    -                pass
    -
    +        # ── Block evaluation (BEFORE checkpoint preflight) ───────────
    +        # We must know whether the tool will execute before touching
    +        # checkpoint state (dedup slot, real snapshots).
             block_result = None
             blocked_by_guardrail = False
             if _ts_scope_block is not None:
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -224,6 +205,30 @@ def execute_tool_calls_concurrent(agent, assistant_message, messages: list, effe
                         block_result = agent._guardrail_block_result(guardrail_decision)
                         blocked_by_guardrail = True
     
    +        # ── Checkpoint preflight (only for tools that will execute) ──
    +        if block_result is None:
    +            # Checkpoint for file-mutating tools
    +            if function_name in {"write_file", "patch"} and agent._checkpoint_mgr.enabled:
    +                try:
    +                    file_path = function_args.get("path", "")
    +                    if file_path:
    +                        work_dir = agent._checkpoint_mgr.get_working_dir_for_path(file_path)
    +                        agent._checkpoint_mgr.ensure_checkpoint(work_dir, f"before {function_name}")
    +                except Exception:
    +                    pass
    +
    +            # Checkpoint before destructive terminal commands
    +            if function_name == "terminal" and agent._checkpoint_mgr.enabled:
    +                try:
    +                    cmd = function_args.get("command", "")
    +                    if _is_destructive_command(cmd):
    +                        cwd = function_args.get("workdir") or os.getenv("TERMINAL_CWD", os.getcwd())
    +                        agent._checkpoint_mgr.ensure_checkpoint(
    +                            cwd, f"before terminal: {cmd[:60]}"
    +                        )
    +                except Exception:
    +                    pass
    +
             parsed_calls.append((tool_call, function_name, function_args, block_result, blocked_by_guardrail))
     
         # ── Logging / callbacks ──────────────────────────────────────────
    ```
  - `tests/run_agent/test_run_agent.py`

    ```diff
    @@ -2543,6 +2543,122 @@ def test_blocked_memory_tool_does_not_reset_counter(self, agent, monkeypatch):
             assert json.loads(result) == {"error": "Blocked"}
             assert agent._turns_since_memory == 5
     
    +    def test_concurrent_blocked_write_skips_checkpoint(self, agent, monkeypatch):
    +        """Concurrent path: blocked write_file should not trigger checkpoint."""
    +        tc1 = _mock_tool_call(name="write_file",
    +                              arguments='{"path":"test.txt","content":"hello"}',
    +                              call_id="c1")
    +        tc2 = _mock_tool_call(name="read_file",
    +                              arguments='{"path":"other.py"}',
    +                              call_id="c2")
    +        mock_msg = _mock_assistant_msg(content="", tool_calls=[tc1, tc2])
    +        messages = []
    +
    +        monkeypatch.setattr(
    +            "hermes_cli.plugins.get_pre_tool_call_block_message",
    +            lambda *args, **kwargs: "Blocked" if args[0] == "write_file" else None,
    +        )
    +
    +        agent._checkpoint_mgr.enabled = True
    +
    +        def fake_handle(name, args, task_id, **kwargs):
    +            return f"result_{name}"
    +
    +        with patch("run_agent.handle_function_call", side_effect=fake_handle):
    +            with patch.object(agent._checkpoint_mgr, "ensure_checkpoint") as cp_mock:
    +                agent._execute_tool_calls_concurrent(mock_msg, messages, "task-1")
    +
    +        cp_mock.assert_not_called()
    +
    +    def test_concurrent_blocked_patch_skips_checkpoint(self, agent, monkeypatch):
    +        """Concurrent path: blocked patch should not trigger checkpoint."""
    +        tc1 = _mock_tool_call(name="patch",
    +                              arguments='{"path":"f.py","old":"a","new":"b"}',
    +                              call_id="c1")
    +        tc2 = _mock_tool_call(name="read_file",
    +                              arguments='{"path":"other.py"}',
    +                              call_id="c2")
    +        mock_msg = _mock_assistant_msg(content="", tool_calls=[tc1, tc2])
    +        messages = []
    +
    +        monkeypatch.setattr(
    +            "hermes_cli.plugins.get_pre_tool_call_block_message",
    +            lambda *args, **kwargs: "Blocked" if args[0] == "patch" else None,
    +        )
    +
    +        agent._checkpoint_mgr.enabled = True
    +
    +        def fake_handle(name, args, task_id, **kwargs):
    +            return f"result_{name}"
    +
    +        with patch("run_agent.handle_function_call", side_effect=fake_handle):
    +            with patch.object(agent._checkpoint_mgr, "ensure_checkpoint") as cp_mock:
    +                agent._execute_tool_calls_concurrent(mock_msg, messages, "task-1")
    +
    +        cp_mock.assert_not_called()
    +
    +    def test_concurrent_blocked_terminal_skips_checkpoint(self, agent, monkeypatch):
    +        """Concurrent path: blocked terminal should not trigger checkpoint."""
    +        tc1 = _mock_tool_call(name="terminal",
    +                              arguments='{"command":"rm -rf /tmp/foo"}',
    +                              call_id="c1")
    +        tc2 = _mock_tool_call(name="read_file",
    +                              arguments='{"path":"other.py"}',
    +                              call_id="c2")
    +        mock_msg = _mock_assistant_msg(content="", tool_calls=[tc1, tc2])
    +        messages = []
    +
    +        monkeypatch.setattr(
    +            "hermes_cli.plugins.get_pre_tool_call_block_message",
    +            lambda *args, **kwargs: "Blocked" if args[0] == "terminal" else None,
    +        )
    +
    +        agent._checkpoint_mgr.enabled = True
    +
    +        def fake_handle(name, args, task_id, **kwargs):
    +            return f"result_{name}"
    +
    +        with patch("run_agent.handle_function_call", side_effect=fake_handle):
    +            with patch.object(agent._checkpoint_mgr, "ensure_checkpoint") as cp_mock:
    +                with patch("agent.tool_executor._is_destructive_command", return_value=True):
    +                    agent._execute_tool_calls_concurrent(mock_msg, messages, "task-1")
    +
    +        cp_mock.assert_not_called()
    +
    +    def test_concurrent_blocked_write_does_not_steal_slot_from_allowed_write(self, agent, monkeypatch):
    +        """When write_file is blocked, its dedup slot must not be consumed,
    +        so a subsequent allowed write_file for the same path still checkpoints."""
    +        tc1 = _mock_tool_call(name="write_file",
    +                              arguments='{"path":"dup.txt","content":"blocked"}',
    +                              call_id="c1")
    +        tc2 = _mock_tool_call(name="write_file",
    +                              arguments='{"path":"dup.txt","content":"allowed"}',
    +                              call_id="c2")
    +        mock_msg = _mock_assistant_msg(content="", tool_calls=[tc1, tc2])
    +        messages = []
    +
    +        call_count = {"n": 0}
    +        def block_first_only(*args, **kwargs):
    +            call_count["n"] += 1
    +            return "Blocked" if call_count["n"] == 1 else None
    +
    +        monkeypatch.setattr(
    +            "hermes_cli.plugins.get_pre_tool_call_block_message",
    +            block_first_only,
    +        )
    +
    +        agent._checkpoint_mgr.enabled = True
    +
    +        def fake_handle(name, args, task_id, **kwargs):
    +            return f"result_{name}"
    +
    +        with patch("run_agent.handle_function_call", side_effect=fake_handle):
    +            with patch.object(agent._checkpoint_mgr, "ensure_checkpoint") as cp_mock:
    +                agent._execute_tool_calls_concurrent(mock_msg, messages, "task-1")
    +
    +        # Second (allowed) write must checkpoint even though first was blocked.
    +        cp_mock.assert_called_once()
    +
     
     class TestPathsOverlap:
         """Unit tests for the _paths_overlap helper."""
    ```
- **#35257: fix(update/windows): robustly exclude launcher-shim ancestors from concurrent check**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `hermes_cli/main.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_update_concurrent_quarantine.py`
- **#29358: fix(cli-update): exclude launcher-shim ancestor PIDs from concurrent check on Windows (#29341)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#35257`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #35255 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-05-30`.
- Subsystem: `hermes_cli`