# NousResearch/hermes-agent · MCP catalog bootstrap shell execution bug fix

## Open now

- 1 issue, 3 PRs open on GitHub.
- #81365: \[Bug\]: MCP catalog bootstrap commands run with shell=True
- PR #81497: fix(cli): run MCP bootstrap without shell
- PR #83731: fix(mcp): run catalog bootstrap commands as argv, never through the shell
- PR #87252: fix(mcp): run catalog bootstraps without a shell

A bug was identified where MCP catalog bootstrap commands were being run with shell=True, and these members address fixing that by executing commands directly as argv without invoking a shell.

## TL;DR

- 5 member(s): 1 open issue(s), 0 closed issue(s), 3 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.40`: 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

- #81365: \[Bug\]: MCP catalog bootstrap commands run with shell=True

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#81367: fix(cli): run MCP catalog bootstrap commands without a shell**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#35545`, `#35545`, `#35545`, `#81365`
- **#81497: fix(cli): run MCP bootstrap without shell**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#35545`, `#35545`
  - files: `hermes_cli/mcp_catalog.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_mcp_catalog.py`
- **#83731: fix(mcp): run catalog bootstrap commands as argv, never through the shell**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#35545`
  - files: `hermes_cli/mcp_catalog.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_mcp_catalog.py`
- **#87252: fix(mcp): run catalog bootstraps without a shell**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`
  - files: `hermes_cli/_subprocess_compat.py`, `hermes_cli/mcp_catalog.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_mcp_catalog.py`, `tests/tools/test_windows_native_support.py`

## Fix status

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