# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Empty toolset allowlist fails open instead of closed

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

A bug where explicitly configuring an empty toolset allowlist incorrectly grants access to all tools rather than none. Fixes are being applied to both the tools layer and the TUI/Desktop interface to enforce fail-closed behavior.

## 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 #134079. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #134079 (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-134079`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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

- #82010: \[Bug\]: Desktop/TUI cannot persist an explicit zero-tool state; empty toolsets fail open

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#134079: fix(tools): explicit empty toolset allowlist must fail closed, not open**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `cron/jobs.py`, `cron/scheduler.py`, `hermes_cli/tools_config.py`, `tests/cron/test_cron_explicit_empty_toolsets.py`, `tests/tui_gateway/test_gui_surface_toolsets.py`, `tools/cronjob_tools.py`, `tui_gateway/server.py`
- **#82093: fix(tui): fail closed for empty toolsets**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#94180`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #134079 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-10-06`.
- Subsystem: `apps/desktop`