# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Cron scheduler stalls silently on EMFILE errors

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These issues and PRs concern a bug where the cron scheduler permanently stalls when an EMFILE (too many open files) error occurs, while the heartbeat continues to report healthy status. The work focuses on surfacing and properly escalating this error instead of silently stalling.

## TL;DR

- 4 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 2 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #88335. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #88335 (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-88335`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #87644: gateway: cron scheduler permanently stalls after EMFILE while heartbeat keeps reporting healthy

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#88335: fix(cron): scheduler self-heals after EMFILE instead of stalling silently (salvage #87796)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `cron/scheduler.py`, `cron/scheduler_provider.py`, `hermes_cli/cron.py`, `tests/cron/test_cron_emfile_stall_87644.py`
- **#87649: fix(cron): contain ticker EMFILE failures and escalate degraded status**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#88335`, `#87796`, `#87644`
- **#87658: fix(cron): surface EMFILE during tick lock instead of silent stall**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `silent_close`; implication `active`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #88335 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-08-17`.
- Subsystem: `cron`