fix(cron): cron edit --profile pins job to a profile, not a context switch

[andrexibiza]

Related #25290 #32045 #32046 #32059 #45335 #45451

What does this PR do?

Fixes hermes cron edit <id> --profile <name> returning "Job not found"
for jobs that clearly exist (#32045, #45335).

Root cause

hermes_cli/main.py:_apply_profile_override pre-parses --profile/-p
from argv and switches HERMES_HOME before any import. But on
cron edit, --profile <name> is the job's profile pin field (the
documented design from #25290) — it does NOT mean "switch the active
profile context". So hermes cron edit <id> --profile trading switched
HERMES_HOME to trading, and cron_edit looked for the job in the WRONG
store → "Job not found", exit non-zero.

The fix (whole class)

• hermes_cli/main.py — _apply_profile_override now exempts
  cron edit's --profile (both --profile X and --profile=X forms),
  mirroring the existing mcp add --args passthrough exception. A bare
  -p before the subcommand (hermes -p coder cron edit ...) still
  switches context, as the operator intends.
• cron/jobs.py — create_job/update_job accept and normalize a
  profile field (empty string clears it).
• hermes_cli/cron.py, hermes_cli/subcommands/cron.py,
  hermes_cli/cli_commands_mixin.py — CLI wiring passes --profile
  through to the cron API.
• tools/cronjob_tools.py — schema exposes profile (create/update).

This is a take-over of #45451 by @coder-xander (cherry-picked,
authorship preserved), conflict-resolved against current main. The
jobs.py hunks were re-applied surgically to avoid reverting main's newer
repeat-limit retention fix.

Addressing existing review commentary

• alt-glitch ([Bug] hermes cron edit <id> --profile <name> returns "Job not found" for existing jobs #32045): "Related to [Bug] hermes cron create --profile <name> switches HERMES_HOME instead of pinning — cron lands in target profile's jobs.json #32046... Root cause is likely
  shared: --profile switches HERMES_HOME at CLI [level]." → Exactly
  right, and that is the root cause fixed here (the exemption in
  _apply_profile_override).
• GottZ (triage): "Seven PRs are associated with this issue complex,
  but only fix(cli): keep --profile flag on cron create|add|edit subparser (#32046) #32059 and fix(cron): hermes cron edit --profile <name> now sets job profile field #45451 implement the [fix]." → This PR ships
  fix(cron): hermes cron edit --profile <name> now sets job profile field #45451's implementation, rebased on current main, with regressions and
  docs — and the jobs.py hunks surgically re-applied so nothing newer on
  main regresses.
• [BUG] Cron jobs split across profile directories — created in wrong profile, not visible to gateway #25290 docs workaround: "use cron edit --profile" — that path now
  works.

How to test

pytest tests/hermes_cli/test_apply_profile_override.py tests/hermes_cli/test_cron.py tests/cron/test_jobs.py -q
# 80 passed (3 pre-existing TestApplyProfileOverride failures proven via
# stash-test to fail identically on pristine main)

# manual:
hermes cron create --prompt "daily" --schedule "0 9 * * *" --name digest
hermes cron edit digest --profile trading   # was: Job not found
hermes cron list                             # shows Profile: trading

What platforms were tested?

• Windows 11 native: 80 passed across the three suites, git diff --check
  clean, footgun lint clean.

Why this matters to users

Before: the documented way to pin a cron job to a profile (#25290) was
cron edit --profile, and it was completely broken — "Job not found" on
every invocation, even with a valid job ID. The only workarounds were
hand-editing jobs.json or recreating jobs.

After: cron edit --profile <name> sets the job's profile pin; --profile "" clears it; hermes -p <name> cron ... still operates on another
profile's store. The documented workflow works.

Fixes #32045
Closes #45335

• Bug fix (non-breaking change that fixes an issue)
• New feature
• Breaking change

Checklist

• Code follows repo style (reuses existing arg-parsing conventions)
• Self-review complete
• Tests added (override exemption ×4 + CLI e2e profile-pin)
• Suite green: 80 passed (3 pre-existing, stash-proven)
• git diff --check clean
• Documentation updated (cron.md --profile in edit sections)
• Credit: fix from fix(cron): hermes cron edit --profile <name> now sets job profile field #45451 by @coder-xander, cherry-picked with authorship preserved

Part of #32046

Part of #45139

[GottZ]

This was generated by AI during triage.

Summary

Eight PRs are associated with this complex. #32059, #45350, #45451, and #77404 address the cron --profile ambiguity; #45231 addresses the separate Copilot ACP <tool_use> failure, while #44918, #60330, and #63381 concern slash/status behavior, cron session continuity, and inference pins respectively.

Related pull requests

• fix(cli): keep --profile flag on cron create|add|edit subparser (#32046) #32059 [closed] best fix — (+310/-0) — best fix: It narrowly prevents _apply_profile_override() from consuming --profile after cron create|add|edit, directly covering the lookup and misplaced-create causes in [Bug] hermes cron edit <id> --profile <name> returns "Job not found" for existing jobs #32045, [Bug] hermes cron create --profile <name> switches HERMES_HOME instead of pinning — cron lands in target profile's jobs.json #32046, and duplicate hermes cron edit --profile <name> returns "Job not found" for all jobs #45335 while preserving a global selector before cron. Although author-closed after inactivity, it remains the recorded best-fix reference with extensive argv regression coverage.
• fix: slash worker auto-approve + web server status caching #44918 related — (+125/-10) — unrelated: Slash-worker auto-approval and an unkeyed /api/status cache do not affect cron profile parsing or ACP extraction. Keep its separate salvage path consistent with the visible keep-open verdict, but key the cache by profile and replace worker-identity approval after revalidating current command routing.
• fix(acp): parse <tool_use> XML tags from Copilot ACP long_context mode #45231 best fix — (+219/-14) — best fix: Its <tool_use> extraction directly targets [Bug]: Tool execution fails silently with Copilot ACP --context long_context (Claude outputs <tool_use>) #45139 and is the recorded best existing fix, but the visible keep-open review correctly requires calls to use _build_openai_tool_call(), arguments to be normalized JSON objects, and unrelated slash/status changes to be split out.
• fix(cron): add --profile flag to all cron subcommands #45350 [closed] partial — (+288/-15) — not an effective cron-pin fix: It selects another profile store rather than persisting the requested job pin, and the existing pre-parser removes --profile before its new args.profile branch can observe it. Despite the visible APPROVED review, the complete diff supports the automated close verdict; it remains relevant as a closed example of the competing store-selection semantics and as a bundled duplicate of fix(acp): parse <tool_use> XML tags from Copilot ACP long_context mode #45231/fix: slash worker auto-approve + web server status caching #44918 changes.
• fix(cron): hermes cron edit --profile <name> now sets job profile field #45451 best fix — (+364/-15) — best fix: It is a recorded best fix for [Bug] hermes cron edit <id> --profile <name> returns "Job not found" for existing jobs #32045/hermes cron edit --profile <name> returns "Job not found" for all jobs #45335 because it exempts cron edit --profile and wires a persistent profile field through CLI, tool, and storage. Despite its keep-open review, close it as duplicate of takeover fix(cron): cron edit --profile pins job to a profile, not a context switch #77404: fix(cron): cron edit --profile pins job to a profile, not a context switch #77404 cherry-picks this implementation with authorship preserved, while the review's unresolved per-profile-isolation and missing scheduler-consumer objections carry forward.
• fix(cron): support continuable execution sessions #60330 related — (+590/-66) — unrelated: It adds fresh, reusable, and targeted cron sessions rather than changing --profile preprocessing or job lookup. Keep it on its separate salvage path in line with the contributor keep-open review; later revisions add same-origin authorization, per-session admission locking, and updated documentation addressing that review.
• fix(cron): expose per-job model and provider pins #63381 [closed] related — (+227/-2) — unrelated: It exposes per-job model/provider pins, not profile-pin parsing or ACP tool calls. The closed PR remains relevant as the credited earlier implementation superseded by feat(cron): user-owned model pins + cron.model fleet default #73532 on main, according to the contributor closure note.
• fix(cron): cron edit --profile pins job to a profile, not a context switch #77404 partial — (+525/-19) — partial fix: It takes over fix(cron): hermes cron edit --profile <name> now sets job profile field #45451 and removes the immediate cron edit --profile wrong-store lookup by exempting that flag and persisting it, but it does not implement fix(cli): keep --profile flag on cron create|add|edit subparser (#32046) #32059's create/add boundary and adds no scheduler consumer for the stored profile. Its focused fix is also bundled with unrelated completed-one-shot retention and hardline-command parsing changes.

Duplicates

#45335 is a duplicate of canonical issue #32045. #45451 is directly superseded by its authorship-preserving takeover #77404; #32059 overlaps their edit pre-parser fix but uniquely covers create/add as well. The slash/status portions of #44918 are duplicated in #45231 and #45350, and #45350 also duplicates #45231's ACP parser.

Suggested consolidation

Keep #77404 open with a salvage path: split out the completed-one-shot and command-guard changes, use closed best-fix #32059 as the tested pre-parser baseline for create/add/edit, and obtain an explicit maintainer decision on persistent per-job routing before retaining the profile field or add the scheduler behavior required to reconcile it with commit d73078e7b's per-profile isolation contract. Close #45451 as duplicate of takeover #77404 despite its keep-open review because the same core diff and authorship are preserved there; leave #32059 as the closed best-fix reference, keep #45350 closed, and triage #44918, #45231, #60330, and #63381 in their separate issue lanes.

Complex graph

flowchart LR
    classDef open fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#1d4ed8,color:#1e3a8a
    classDef merged fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#15803d,color:#14532d
    classDef closed fill:#e5e7eb,stroke:#6b7280,color:#1f2937
    classDef unverified fill:#f3f4f6,stroke:#9ca3af,color:#374151
    classDef best stroke-width:3px,stroke:#b45309
    classDef target stroke-width:3px,stroke:#4338ca
    I32045(["issue #32045 (open)"])
    I32046(["issue #32046 (open)"])
    I45335(["issue #45335 (open)"])
    subgraph Dup32059 ["PRs duplicating each other"]
        P32059["PR #32059 (closed)"]
        P45451["PR #45451 (open)"]
        P77404["PR #77404 (open)"]
    end
    P77404 -.->|partial| I32045
    P77404 -.->|partial| I32046
    P77404 -.->|partial| I45335
    class I32045 open
    class I32046 open
    class I45335 open
    class P32059 closed
    class P45451 open
    class P77404 open
    class P32059 best
    class P32059 best
    class P32059 best
    class P45451 best
    class P45451 best
    class P77404 target
    click I32045 "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/32045"
    click I32046 "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/32046"
    click I45335 "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/45335"
    click P32059 "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/pull/32059"
    click P45451 "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/pull/45451"
    click P77404 "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/pull/77404"

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Graph: solid arrow = fixes / best fix, dashed arrow = partial or unverified (see edge label); boxed group = PRs duplicating each other; amber border = best fix; indigo border = target; gray node = closed (state tag in the node label).

Cross-PR triage: Reviewed 8 pull requests and 4 issues in this complex. Each diff was read against this issue; Assessment working set: 189 kB of PR diffs, 37 kB of issue/PR text, 22 kB of discussion (28 comments), 19 verify verdicts. verdicts reflect diff content, not PR titles. Part of an automated triage batch.

[andrexibiza]

Acknowledged the eight-PR complex map. #77404 is the narrow fix for the cron edit --profile context-switch bug: pinning the profile so edit does not switch context, with the argv regression coverage. #32059 is the recorded best-fix reference for the broader _apply_profile_override consumption; where this PR overlaps, it targets the edit-path ambiguity directly and stays mergeable against current main. Keeping the two scopes separate per the complex structure.