Worked on improving the stability of the Hermes Agent by refining Codex API response validation within the NousResearch/hermes-agent repository. Addressed a bug where responses with empty primary output but available supplemental text were prematurely invalidated, leading to unnecessary retries and increased latency. The solution involved aligning validation logic with normalization processes, enhancing reliability in Codex-driven workflows. Implemented updates in Python, focusing on robust error handling and comprehensive testing, including new tests for empty-stream scenarios. Enhanced observability by updating logging around the validation path, ensuring clearer diagnostics and smoother user experiences. Demonstrated strengths in API integration and code refactoring.