# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Hindsight Memory API key not optional for local LLMs

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

A bug where Hindsight Memory incorrectly requires an LLM API key even when using local providers like Ollama, LM Studio, or OpenAI-compatible endpoints. Two fix attempts address allowing an empty or absent API key for these local-only providers.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 0 merged PR(s), 2 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #70814: \[Bug\]: Hindsight Memory requires LLM API KEY even for local LLM

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#70886: fix(hindsight): allow local LLM without API key (#70814)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `stale_abandoned`; implication `active`; refs `9d799e0531c`, `4cbf862abe4`, `dc75038866a3966b5bf5c82ff57c7a758bb4070a`, `#119888`, `#70814`
- **#71589: fix(hindsight): allow empty LLM API key for local-only providers (ollama, lmstudio, openai_compatible) (#70814)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#70886`

## Fix status

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