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jcrabapple
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cron-debugging

Diagnose and fix Hermes Agent cron job failures across skills, credentials, and configuration.

10|2|Updated May 6, 2026
Search Tags:#automation#debugging#troubleshooting#cron#scheduler#hermes agent#jobs.json
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/jcrabapple/hermes-skills --skill cron-debugging-jcrabapple
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: cron-debugging
Source: https://github.com/jcrabapple/hermes-skills/tree/main/cron-debugging
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/jcrabapple/hermes-skills --skill cron-debugging-jcrabapple

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Hermes Agent cron jobs fail silently or cryptically — broken skill references, expired API keys, deprecated model IDs, script path bugs, and timeout issues — and this Skill provides a systematic playbook to find and fix each failure mode. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Systematic Debugging Workflow: Step-by-step commands to list jobs, audit environments with hermes doctor, validate API keys via curl, and verify skill references in jobs.json. - Documented Failure Patterns: Covers 30+ real-world issues including tool-name-as-skill confusion, date hallucination, model drift, silent pre-run script failures, and runaway retry loops. - Audit Scripts: Ships check_broken_skill_refs.py and check_cron_script_paths.py to scan jobs.json for missing skills and doubled script paths, with optional --fix remediation. - Use Case: A daily digest cron job shows last_status: ok but delivers nothing — use this Skill to trace the hung API request, check errors.log, and repair the job's provider configuration. ## Quick Start Use the cron-debugging skill to find out why my cron job stopped delivering output and fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions about cron-debugging

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I debug a failing Hermes Agent cron job?▼

Start with `hermes cron list` to check last_status, then run `hermes doctor` for environment diagnostics. Inspect the job in ~/.hermes/cron/jobs.json with jq, review recent output files, and grep errors.log for the job ID to isolate the failure.

Why does my cron job show ok status but deliver nothing?▼

A status of ok only means no exception was thrown. Common causes include tool names mistakenly placed in skill fields, mid-run side effects that desync delivery, or the model declaring intent without making tool calls. Check the output file content and session transcript.

How do I fix broken skill references in cron jobs?▼

Run the included check_broken_skill_refs.py script to scan jobs.json for skill names lacking a SKILL.md file. Use its --fix flag interactively to null broken skill fields and prune invalid entries, with an automatic jobs.json.bak backup.

Can I change the model or provider on an existing cron job?▼

The cronjob tool's update action does not reliably accept model or provider parameters. The dependable method is editing ~/.hermes/cron/jobs.json directly with Python, updating model, provider, and their snapshot fields, then running the job to verify.

Why does my cron script time out after 120 seconds?▼

The scheduler's default script timeout is 120 seconds. Set script_timeout_seconds under the cron section in ~/.hermes/config.yaml, or use the HERMES_CRON_SCRIPT_TIMEOUT environment variable. Per-job timeouts are not supported.

What are the limitations of the cronjob update tool?▼

The update action writes only a limited field set and may silently drop unknown parameters like model or provider. Stray parameters can overwrite a job's prompt. When updates do not persist, edit jobs.json directly or delete and recreate the job.

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