# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Windows .cmd shim shell metacharacter escaping bug

## Open now

- 2 issues, 0 PRs open on GitHub.
- #31419: \[Bug\] Windows: asyncio.subprocess_exec misparses argv metacharacters when target is a .cmd/.bat shim
- #35654: \[Bug\]: Browser tool commands fail on Windows when arguments contain shell characters (&, |, <, >) due to .cmd wrapper evaluation
- _Broad area: open items may be separate problems._

A bug where browser tool commands fail on Windows when arguments contain shell metacharacters (&, |, <, >) because .cmd/.bat shims cause the shell to re-evaluate them. Includes a reported fix for escaping these characters when invoking .cmd shims.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 2 open issue(s), 0 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 0 merged PR(s), 1 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_PARTIAL`): some members are connected by structural evidence (shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference); the rest are joined by an automated relevance judgement over their text.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 `0.45`: 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

- #31419: \[Bug\] Windows: asyncio.subprocess_exec misparses argv metacharacters when target is a .cmd/.bat shim
- #35654: \[Bug\]: Browser tool commands fail on Windows when arguments contain shell characters (&, |, <, >) due to .cmd wrapper evaluation

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#35721: fix(browser): escape cmd metacharacters when invoking .cmd shim on Windows**. closed without merge · fix tier `suggested`
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#31446`, `#31419`, `#31446`
  - _suggested-tier fix detail withheld; re-request with `?tier=all` to include it._

## Fix status

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