Hermes Proxy Network Timeout Fix | Generated by AI

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Question: Why did I get this TypeError: terminated with ETIMEDOUT when running start_proxy in hermes-agent on Node.js v25.3.0?

Answer:

This error is a network timeout issue that occurred inside Node.js’s HTTP/HTTPS client (using the undici library) while your hermes-agent was trying to make an outgoing request.

What happened:

• The code tried to fetch something over the network (likely an HTTPS request).
• The connection was established, but then the read operation timed out (read ETIMEDOUT).
• Node.js’s undici fetch implementation detected the abort/timeout and threw TypeError: terminated.
• The root cause is Error: read ETIMEDOUT with errno -60 (which is a common macOS timeout error).

Common reasons for this in hermes-agent start_proxy:

1. Network connectivity problems — Your internet connection dropped momentarily, or there’s high latency/packet loss.
2. Proxy or firewall interference — Since you’re running start_proxy, hermes-agent is probably trying to connect through a proxy, to a proxy, or to some remote service. Firewalls, corporate proxies, or VPNs often cause timeouts.
3. Target server is slow or unreachable — The remote endpoint hermes-agent is contacting (for example, a configuration server, authentication service, or upstream proxy) is not responding quickly enough.
4. DNS resolution or routing issues — Especially common on macOS when switching networks or using certain Wi-Fi setups.
5. Timeout settings too low — hermes-agent or Node.js might have a short default timeout for requests.
6. macOS-specific networking quirks — The errno -60 and the TLS socket close point to a system-level socket timeout, which happens more frequently on macOS with certain network configurations.

How to fix it:

• Check your internet connection and try again.
• If you’re behind a corporate/VPN/proxy network, try disabling the VPN temporarily or check proxy settings in hermes-agent.
• Run start_proxy with more verbose logging if the tool supports it (e.g., DEBUG=* start_proxy or any --verbose flag) to see exactly which URL is being requested and timing out.
• Increase network timeout if hermes-agent has a configuration option for it.
• Restart your router/modem or switch to a different network (mobile hotspot) to test.
• Update Node.js or check if there’s a newer version of hermes-agent.
• As a quick test: run curl https://www.google.com (or the suspected target domain) in terminal to verify basic connectivity.

If the error keeps happening, share:

• The full command you ran (start_proxy with any arguments?)
• Any output before the error
• What hermes-agent is supposed to do (is it a custom tool, open-source project, or internal?)
• Your network setup (home, office, VPN?)

That will help narrow it down further.

References:

• None (error analysis based on standard Node.js/undici behavior)

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