# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Zero-match probes withholding found file paths

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These items address a bug where zero-match probe operations return only counts rather than the actual file paths already discovered, causing models to re-search unnecessarily. Fixes target both search and tools layers to return the paths alongside the zero-match result.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #80525. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #80525 (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: `resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-80525`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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

- #80522: \[Bug\]: zero-match casing probe is hint-only — withholds the paths it already found, sends weak models into re-search spirals (measured +6 turns)

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#80525: fix(search): zero-match probes return the file paths they found, not just counts**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `tests/tools/test_search_zero_match_and_multipath.py`, `tools/file_operations.py`
- **#80714: fix(tools): return zero-match probe paths**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#80525`, `#80522`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #80525 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-08-17`.
- Subsystem: `agent`