# NousResearch/hermes-agent · patch tool silent failure and stale-view handling

## Open now

- 1 issue, 1 PR open on GitHub.
- #59600: patch tool returns success:true even when file write was silently skipped
- PR #59610: fix(tools): block patch on partial-view files to prevent silent data loss (Issue #59600)

These issues and fixes address the patch tool incorrectly returning success:true when file writes are silently skipped due to stale or partial-view file state. The changes aim to surface these conditions as explicit errors or failures rather than hiding them.

## TL;DR

- 6 member(s): 1 open issue(s), 0 closed issue(s), 1 open PR(s), 0 merged PR(s), 4 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.33`: 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

- #59600: patch tool returns success:true even when file write was silently skipped

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#59685: fix(file): set success=false when file write blocked by staleness/partial-read guard (#59600)**. closed without merge · fix tier `suggested`
  - maintainer direction: category `partial_fix`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#59600`, `#59610`, `#59616`, `#59680`
- **#59610: fix(tools): block patch on partial-view files to prevent silent data loss (Issue #59600)**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `partial_fix`; implication `needs_llm`
  - files: `tests/tools/test_file_read_guards.py`, `tests/tools/test_file_staleness.py`, `tests/tools/test_file_state_registry.py`, `tools/file_tools.py`
- **#59616: fix(patch): surface stale-view warning as error instead of hidden _warning**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `stale_abandoned`; implication `active`
- **#59671: fix(tools): return success:false when patch write is silently skipped (#59600)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `partial_fix`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#59610`, `#59616`, `#59600`
- **#59680: fix(tools): return success:false when patch write is silently skipped (#59600)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`

## Fix status

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