# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Kanban worker claim lost on iteration-budget exhaustion

## Open now

- 1 issue, 2 PRs open on GitHub.
- #71175: \[Bug\]: iteration-budget exhaustion un-claims a LIVE goal-mode Kanban worker; the dispatcher then spawns a second writer onto the same worktree
- PR #71189: fix(kanban): hold claim on iteration-budget exhaustion (#71175)
- PR #78943: fix(kanban): prevent terminal-task retries and duplicate writers

A bug where exhausting the iteration budget incorrectly releases a live Kanban worker's claim, allowing the dispatcher to spawn a duplicate writer on the same worktree. The members cover the bug report and related fixes addressing claim retention and preventing redundant retries.

## TL;DR

- 4 member(s): 1 open issue(s), 0 closed issue(s), 2 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.50`: 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.

## Open related issues

- #71175: \[Bug\]: iteration-budget exhaustion un-claims a LIVE goal-mode Kanban worker; the dispatcher then spawns a second writer onto the same worktree

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#71189: fix(kanban): hold claim on iteration-budget exhaustion (#71175)**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#73188`
  - files: `agent/turn_finalizer.py`, `tests/agent/test_turn_finalizer_iteration_limit_exit.py`, `tests/run_agent/test_run_agent.py`
- **#78943: fix(kanban): prevent terminal-task retries and duplicate writers**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#71175`, `#69942`
  - files: `agent/prompt_builder.py`, `gateway/kanban_watchers.py`, `hermes_cli/kanban_db.py`, `hermes_cli/kanban_decompose.py`, `tests/agent/test_kanban_review_dag_guidance.py`, `tests/gateway/test_kanban_notifier.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_block_kinds.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_block_loop_sticky.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_core_functionality.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_process_retry_safety.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_terminal_hold.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_stress_isolation_guard.py`, `tests/stress/_isolation.py`, `tests/stress/test_concurrency.py`, `tests/stress/test_concurrency_mixed.py`, `tests/stress/test_concurrency_parent_gate.py`, `tests/stress/test_concurrency_reclaim_race.py`, `website/docs/user-guide/features/kanban.md`
- **#95318: fix(kanban): worker self-holds its claim on iteration-budget exhaustion (#95212)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`

## Fix status

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