# NousResearch/hermes-agent · macOS launchd gateway restart double-start and proposed kickstart changes

## Open now

- 1 issue, 1 PR open on GitHub.
- #42446: hermes gateway restart triggers double gateway start on macOS 26+ due to launchctl kickstart -k racing with KeepAlive
- PR #42450: fix(gateway): remove -k flag from kickstart in launchd_restart to prevent double-spawn

One issue reports that on macOS 26+ restarting the Hermes gateway can start it twice, attributing this to \`launchctl kickstart -k\` racing with KeepAlive. Two pull requests propose different changes to the restart logic: one uses bootout plus kickstart, the other removes the \`-k\` flag.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 1 open issue(s), 0 closed issue(s), 1 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.67`: 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

- #42446: hermes gateway restart triggers double gateway start on macOS 26+ due to launchctl kickstart -k racing with KeepAlive

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#42450: fix(gateway): remove -k flag from kickstart in launchd_restart to prevent double-spawn**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`
  - files: `hermes_cli/gateway.py`, `tests/cli/test_launchd_restart_kickstart.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py`
- **#42590: fix(gateway): use bootout+kickstart to prevent double start (#42446)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`

## Fix status

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