{"repo":"NousResearch/hermes-agent","public_id":"39797","display_label":"Agent ignoring web tool restrictions in prompts","summary":"These issues and fixes relate to an agent (Hermes) disregarding prompt-level instructions that restrict or prohibit use of web search and extraction tools. The work involves making system prompt guidance around permitted tools more explicit and reliably enforced.","subsystem":"agent","counts":{"members":4,"open_issues":0,"open_issues_distinct":0,"open_prs":1,"closed_issues":1,"merged_prs":1,"attempt_prs":2},"landed_fix":{"status":"merged_to_main","basis":"structural","pr":89924,"merged_at":"2026-09-15T11:13:15+00:00"},"resolution":{"state":"resolved","by":"pr-89924"},"freshness":{"state":"verified","last_verified_at":"2026-09-15T11:13:15+00:00","is_stale":false},"grouping":{"backbone":"STRUCTURAL_SPANNING","link_density":0.5},"fix_edges":[{"issue_number":39797,"pr_number":89924,"tier":"verified","basis":"closing_ref","confidence":0.95,"recoverable_from_timeline":true,"pr_merged_at":"2026-09-15T11:13:15+00:00"}],"members":[{"kind":"issue","number":39797,"title":"[Bug]: Hermes ignores SOUL.md's instruction to not use web_search and web_extract","url":null,"state":"closed"},{"kind":"pr","number":39905,"title":"fix(agent): respect permitted web retrieval guidance","url":null,"state":"open","close_reason":{"refs":[{"kind":"pr","value":"#89924","number":89924}],"category":"merged_via","implication":"superseded"},"merged":false},{"kind":"pr","number":89924,"title":"fix(agent): prompt guidance no longer mandates web tools the session doesn't have (#39797, salvage #39905)","url":null,"state":"merged","close_reason":{"category":"merged"},"merged":true,"is_fix_pr":true,"fix_tier":"verified","files_changed":["agent/prompt_builder.py","agent/system_prompt.py","model_tools.py","tests/agent/test_phantom_tool_references.py","tests/tools/test_model_tools.py","tools/browser_cdp_tool.py","tools/browser_tool.py","website/docs/reference/tools-reference.md"]},{"kind":"pr","number":106548,"title":"fix(agent): gate execution-guidance tool lines on the session's toolset","url":null,"state":"closed","close_reason":{"refs":[{"kind":"commit","value":"41201bf2153","number":0},{"kind":"pr","value":"#130743","number":130743}],"category":"implemented_elsewhere","implication":"superseded"},"merged":false}],"trust":{"default_tier":"verified","includes_suggested":false}}