# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Handling ${env:VAR} config refs from Hermes .env files

## Open now

- 1 issue, 2 PRs open on GitHub.
- #89199: \[Bug\]: hermes config logs spurious "Config ref ${env:VAR} is not set" warning for vars present in ~/.hermes/.env
- PR #89218: fix(config): resolve ${env:VAR} refs from ~/.hermes/.env
- PR #142376: fix(config): resolve ${env:VAR} refs against profile .env outside secret scopes

These items concern ${env:VAR} references in Hermes config not being looked up against values in ~/.hermes/.env (or a profile .env), with one report describing a spurious "Config ref ... is not set" warning. Two are fix-oriented changes and one is a bug report, all appearing to address the same theme.

## 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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

- #89199: \[Bug\]: hermes config logs spurious "Config ref ${env:VAR} is not set" warning for vars present in ~/.hermes/.env

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#89218: fix(config): resolve ${env:VAR} refs from ~/.hermes/.env**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#84079`, `#142376`
  - files: `hermes_cli/config.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_config_env_expansion.py`
- **#142376: fix(config): resolve ${env:VAR} refs against profile .env outside secret scopes**. open
  - maintainer direction: category `silent_close`; implication `active`
  - files: `hermes_cli/config.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_config_env_expansion.py`

## Fix status

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