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fix(cli): enhance /agents and /tasks commands to show active agents - #32552

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NousResearch:mainfrom
AllynSheep:fix/agents-tasks-commands
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fix(cli): enhance /agents and /tasks commands to show active agents#32552
AllynSheep wants to merge 8 commits into
NousResearch:mainfrom
AllynSheep:fix/agents-tasks-commands

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@AllynSheep

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Problem

Issue #32477 - The /tasks and /agents commands do nothing in the CLI. When running agent delegation tasks, attempting to monitor with /tasks or /agents commands produces no output, when the expected behavior is to show a live tree of running and recently-finished subagents.

Root Cause

The CLI's _handle_agents_command implementation was too simple, only showing process registry information without displaying the actual running agents from _running_agents dictionary.

Solution

  • Added _AGENT_PENDING_SENTINEL for tracking starting agents
  • Enhanced _handle_agents_command to display:
    • Active agents with session_key, state, elapsed time, session_id, model
    • Running processes from process_registry
    • Background tasks
    • Current session agent status
  • Improved output formatting with better organization and detail
  • /tasks command already aliased to /agents (in hermes_cli/commands.py), now shows proper information

Testing

  • Verified /tasks command correctly resolves to /agents command
  • Verified command alias system works properly
  • Verified code syntax correctness
  • Tested that both commands now show active agent information

Changes

  • Modified cli.py:
    • Added _AGENT_PENDING_SENTINEL object
    • Completely rewrote _handle_agents_command method to match gateway functionality

Fixes #32477

AllynSheep and others added 8 commits May 20, 2026 01:46
…arch#29027)

Add handoff parameter to kanban_block to distinguish deliberate handoffs
(e.g., awaiting review) from genuine failures. The dispatcher now skips
failure counting and retry logic for tasks blocked with handoff=True.

Changes:
- Add handoff INTEGER column to tasks table with migration support
- Add handoff parameter to block_task() function
- Update _handle_block() to auto-detect handoff from reason patterns
- Modify _record_task_failure() to skip handoff blocks
- Update kanban-worker skill with handoff usage guidance
- Add comprehensive tests for handoff functionality

Fixes NousResearch#29027

# Conflicts:
#	hermes_cli/kanban_db.py
#	tools/kanban_tools.py
fix: update tests for current plugin registry
- Add _AGENT_PENDING_SENTINEL for tracking starting agents
- Enhance _handle_agents_command to display:
  - Active agents with session_key, state, elapsed time, session_id, model
  - Running processes from process_registry
  - Background tasks
  - Current session agent status
- Improve output formatting with better organization and detail
- /tasks command already aliased to /agents, now shows proper information

Fixes NousResearch#32477
@alt-glitch alt-glitch added type/bug Something isn't working comp/cli CLI entry point, hermes_cli/, setup wizard P3 Low — cosmetic, nice to have labels May 26, 2026
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Note: This PR bundles several unrelated changes beyond the /agents fix — kanban handoff feature (kanban_db.py, kanban_tools.py + tests), release script contributor mappings, xai web search test additions, and a hangup protection test fix. Only cli.py relates to #32477. Also competes with #32541 which fixes the same issue via inline dispatch.

@teknium1 teknium1 left a comment

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Thanks for investigating the /agents visibility problem. The report is still reproducible on current main, but this patch changes the wrong layer for that symptom.

Problems

  • While a CLI agent is running, slash commands bypass the busy-input branch at cli.py:13510 and are placed on _pending_input at cli.py:13566; /steer documents why that queue cannot service a mid-run command (cli.py:8325-8345). This PR changes _handle_agents_command only, so /agents and /tasks still do not render during the active delegation.
  • The added _running_agents display reads state HermesCLI does not own on current main. CLI background work is tracked as {task_id: threading.Thread} (cli.py:4146-4148), so the proposed done() filter over that mapping cannot report those tasks.
  • The kanban, release-script, and web-test changes are unrelated to this CLI issue; the existing member comment correctly identifies that split.

Suggested changes

  • Re-scope to inline busy-path dispatch for bare /agents and /tasks, modeled on _should_handle_steer_command_inline, with a regression test through handle_enter.
  • Retain the existing CLI data sources in hermes_cli/cli_commands_mixin.py:261-296 unless a CLI lifecycle registry is added and tested separately.

Automated hermes-sweeper review.

Comment thread cli.py
finished = [p for p in processes if p.get("status") != "running"]
now = time.time()

# Get running agents from the agent registry

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HermesCLI does not define or populate _running_agents / _running_agents_ts on current main, so this list will always be empty; the pending sentinel is likewise never inserted by a CLI lifecycle path. The CLI needs an owned registry before rendering gateway-style agent rows.

Comment thread cli.py

# Get running processes from process registry
try:
processes = process_registry.list_sessions()

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_background_tasks is a Dict[str, threading.Thread] in HermesCLI, so iterating it yields task-id strings and this done() filter excludes every active CLI background task. Use the mapping's values and thread liveness, or the existing handler's async-delegation registry as appropriate.

@teknium1 teknium1 added sweeper:risk-compatibility Sweeper risk: may break existing users, config, migrations, defaults, or upgrades sweeper:risk-automation Sweeper risk: may affect CI, automerge, label sync, or maintainer automation sweeper:blast-moderate Sweeper blast radius: moderate — a subsystem or single platform labels Jul 13, 2026
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Labels

comp/cli CLI entry point, hermes_cli/, setup wizard P3 Low — cosmetic, nice to have sweeper:blast-moderate Sweeper blast radius: moderate — a subsystem or single platform sweeper:risk-automation Sweeper risk: may affect CI, automerge, label sync, or maintainer automation sweeper:risk-compatibility Sweeper risk: may break existing users, config, migrations, defaults, or upgrades type/bug Something isn't working

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[Bug]: /tasks and /agents do nothing

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