# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Auth JSON file UTF-8 encoding on Windows CJK paths

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

A bug where auth.json parsing fails on Windows when usernames contain CJK characters, due to GBK codec usage instead of UTF-8. The members cover the bug report and related fixes specifying UTF-8 encoding for auth.json read operations.

## 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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

- #69706: \[Bug\] auth: GBK codec fails to parse auth.json path when Windows username contains CJK characters

## 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)
- **#69728: fix(auth): read auth json stores as utf-8**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#71078`
- **#69789: fix(auth): specify UTF-8 encoding for auth.json read_text() calls**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#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: `hermes_cli`