# NousResearch/hermes-agent · search_files invalid target value silent fallthrough fix

## Open now

- 1 issue, 2 PRs open on GitHub.
- #74448: search_files: invalid \`target\` value silently falls through to content-search instead of erroring
- PR #74457: fix(tools): reject invalid search_files target values
- PR #74484: fix(search_files): reject invalid target values instead of silently passing through (#74448)

These items address a bug where invalid \`target\` values passed to \`search_files\` are silently treated as content searches instead of raising an error. The work involves adding validation to reject such values explicitly.

## TL;DR

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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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

## Open related issues

- #74448: search_files: invalid \`target\` value silently falls through to content-search instead of erroring

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#74457: fix(tools): reject invalid search_files target values**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `partial_fix`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `687e14354ba5`, `#74448`, `#74457`, `#74484`, `#374151`
  - files: `tests/tools/test_search_invalid_target.py`, `tools/file_operations.py`
- **#74484: fix(search_files): reject invalid target values instead of silently passing through (#74448)**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#74448`
  - files: `tools/file_tools.py`

## Fix status

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