NousResearch/hermes-agent · error · RuntimeError

agent.run_conversation returned {type(result).__name__} inst

Error message

agent.run_conversation returned {type(result).__name__} instead of dict: {result!r}

What it means

Error "agent.run_conversation returned {type(result).__name__} instead of dict: {result!r}" thrown in NousResearch/hermes-agent.

Source

Thrown at cron/scheduler.py:4523

            _iter_max = _activity.get("max_iterations", 0)

            logger.error(
                "Job '%s' idle for %.0fs (inactivity limit %.0fs) "
                "| last_activity=%s | iteration=%s/%s | tool=%s",
                job_name, _secs_ago, _cron_inactivity_limit,
                _last_desc, _iter_n, _iter_max,
                _cur_tool or "none",
            )
            request_hard_interrupt(agent, "Cron job timed out (inactivity)")
            raise TimeoutError(
                f"Cron job '{job_name}' idle for "
                f"{int(_secs_ago)}s (limit {int(_cron_inactivity_limit)}s) "
                f"— last activity: {_last_desc}"
            )

        # Guard against non-dict returns from run_conversation under error conditions
        if not isinstance(result, dict):
            raise RuntimeError(
                f"agent.run_conversation returned {type(result).__name__} instead of dict: {result!r}"
            )

        # If the agent itself reported failure (e.g. all retries exhausted on
        # API errors, model abort, mid-run interrupt), do not silently mark the
        # job as successful. run_agent populates `failed=True`/`completed=False`
        # on these paths and may put the error into `final_response`, which
        # would otherwise be delivered as if it were the agent's reply and the
        # job's `last_status` set to "ok". Raise so the except handler below
        # builds the proper failure tuple. (issue #17855)
        turn_exit_reason = str(result.get("turn_exit_reason") or "")
        final_response_text = (result.get("final_response") or "").strip()
        max_iteration_summary = (
            result.get("failed") is not True
            and result.get("completed") is False
            and turn_exit_reason.startswith("max_iterations_reached(")
            and bool(final_response_text)
        )

View on GitHub (pinned to c896c09c42)

Solutions

1. Report the bug: run_conversation must return a dict; check agent logs for the malformed return.
2. Retry the job; a transient internal error may have produced the wrong type.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cron/scheduler.py:4523 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of NousResearch/hermes-agent@c896c09c42 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/dc6ce12518a672d8. Report an issue: GitHub.