# NousResearch/hermes-agent · UTF-8 encoding fixes for hub JSON file I/O

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

A bug report and two related fixes addressing hub lock/taps/cache JSON read and write operations that fail on Chinese Windows due to missing explicit UTF-8 encoding, causing GBK misinterpretation.

## TL;DR

- 4 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 2 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #71078. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #71078 (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: `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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.50`: 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

- #68369: \[Bug\]: hermes skills check crashes on Chinese Windows — HubLockFile.load() bare read_text() decodes UTF-8 lock.json as GBK

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#71078: fix(windows): retire the bare read_text/write_text class — salvage 11 contributor PRs + sweep + linter**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `agent/auxiliary_client.py`, `agent/copilot_acp_client.py`, `agent/credential_sources.py`, `agent/nous_rate_guard.py`, `agent/shell_hooks.py`, `cli.py`, `contributors/emails/[redacted:email]`, `contributors/emails/chancelu@users.noreply.github.com`, `contributors/emails/[redacted:email]`, `hermes_cli/auth.py`, `hermes_cli/banner.py`, `hermes_cli/container_boot.py`, `hermes_cli/doctor.py`, `hermes_cli/gateway.py`, `hermes_cli/main.py`, `hermes_cli/plugins.py`, `hermes_cli/profiles.py`, `hermes_cli/service_manager.py`, `hermes_cli/uninstall.py`, `hermes_constants.py` (+58 more)
- **#68399: fix(skills): add explicit encoding=utf-8 to all hub JSON read/write calls**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#47489`
- **#68674: fix(skills): force UTF-8 on hub lock/taps/cache JSON I/O**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `d372fda6f0`, `#71078`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #71078 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-07-25`.
- Subsystem: `skills`