# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Gateway restart broken by inherited _HERMES_GATEWAY env var

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

A cluster of bug reports and fixes centered on _HERMES_GATEWAY environment variable being inherited by child processes, causing gateway restart operations to silently fail across Windows, macOS (launchd), and dashboard/chat contexts. Work spans detection, scrubbing, and platform-specific restart path hardening.

## TL;DR

- 12 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 4 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 2 merged PR(s), 6 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #52482. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #52482 (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: `partially_resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-52482`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_PARTIAL`): some members are connected by structural evidence (shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference); the rest are joined by an automated relevance judgement over their text.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 `0.23`: 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

- #39969: Windows gateway /restart can leave gateway stopped when helper inherits _HERMES_GATEWAY
- #44312: /restart never respawns outside service managers: detached restart helper inherits _HERMES_GATEWAY=1 and self-refuses (#30719 regression)
- #52470: \[Bug\]: Dashboard auto-restart silently fails — _spawn_hermes_action inherits _HERMES_GATEWAY=1 from dashboard process
- #57512: \[Bug\]: Desktop 'Restart Gateway' button silently fails due to _HERMES_GATEWAY env var guard

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#39970: fix(gateway): strip gateway guard in Windows restart helper**. closed without merge · fix tier `suggested`
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `264ac72b676b634c0f63b26af53c90205121bffd`
  - _suggested-tier fix detail withheld; re-request with `?tier=all` to include it._
- **#52482: fix(dashboard): drop _HERMES_GATEWAY when spawning hermes actions**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `hermes_cli/web_server.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_dashboard_admin_endpoints.py`
- **#93267: fix: inherited gateway env marker no longer blocks CLI sessions from gateway management (#92560, salvage #92196)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `contributors/emails/[redacted:email]`, `hermes_cli/gateway.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_restart_loop.py`, `tools/terminal_tool.py`
- **#40059: fix(gateway): strip _HERMES_GATEWAY from Windows detached restart helper env**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`
- **#40141: fix(gateway): strip _HERMES_GATEWAY from detached restart helper env (#39969)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `264ac72b676b634c0f63b26af53c90205121bffd`
- **#57523: fix(web-server): strip _HERMES_GATEWAY from spawned management subprocesses**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#52482`, `#52482`, `#52482`
- **#57524: fix(gateway): scrub gateway env from dashboard restarts**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `aa9aaaa6cb31`, `#52470`, `#93267`, `#57512`
- **#57853: fix(dashboard): scrub gateway marker from actions**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#57524`, `#57512`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #52482 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-08-23`.
- Subsystem: `dashboard`