diff --git a/examples/hermes-plugin/__init__.py b/examples/hermes-plugin/__init__.py
index 2e338061cb..ccb5a32fb4 100644
--- a/examples/hermes-plugin/__init__.py
+++ b/examples/hermes-plugin/__init__.py
@@ -3327,13 +3327,23 @@ def failure(message: str, *, stage: str, message_status: str) -> str:
         try:
             client.post(f"/api/v1/sessions/{session_id}/messages", {"role": "user", "parts": [{"type": "text", "text": content}]})
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.error("OpenViking remember message failed for %s: %s", session_id, e)
-            return failure(f"Memory message submission failed for session {session_id}: {e}", stage="message", message_status="unknown")
+            detail = str(e) or type(e).__name__
+            logger.error("OpenViking remember message failed for %s: %s", session_id, detail)
+            return failure(
+                f"Memory message submission failed for session {session_id}: {detail}",
+                stage="message",
+                message_status="unknown",
+            )
         try:
             commit = self._unwrap_result(client.post(f"/api/v1/sessions/{session_id}/commit", {"keep_recent_count": 0}))
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.error("OpenViking remember commit failed for %s: %s", session_id, e)
-            return failure(f"Memory message was accepted, but commit failed for session {session_id}: {e}", stage="commit", message_status="accepted")
+            detail = str(e) or type(e).__name__
+            logger.error("OpenViking remember commit failed for %s: %s", session_id, detail)
+            return failure(
+                f"Memory message was accepted, but commit failed for session {session_id}: {detail}",
+                stage="commit",
+                message_status="accepted",
+            )
         commit = commit if isinstance(commit, dict) else {}
         return json.dumps({
             "status": "submitted", "session_id": session_id, "session_uri": session_uri, "message_status": "accepted",
diff --git a/examples/hermes-plugin/tests/test_standalone.py b/examples/hermes-plugin/tests/test_standalone.py
index 07450e44e4..50ae7b4d6a 100644
--- a/examples/hermes-plugin/tests/test_standalone.py
+++ b/examples/hermes-plugin/tests/test_standalone.py
@@ -383,6 +383,41 @@ def log_message(self, *_args):
         worker.join(timeout=5)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("failed_suffix", "failure_stage", "message_status"),
+    [
+        ("/messages", "message", "unknown"),
+        ("/commit", "commit", "accepted"),
+    ],
+)
+def test_remember_names_empty_timeout_errors(
+    external_provider, failed_suffix, failure_stage, message_status
+):
+    _, provider, _, _ = external_provider(f"remember-timeout-{failure_stage}")
+
+    class Client:
+        _user = "alice"
+
+        def get(self, _path, **_kwargs):
+            return {"result": {"user": self._user}}
+
+        def post(self, path, _payload):
+            if path.endswith(failed_suffix):
+                raise TimeoutError()
+            return {"result": {}}
+
+    client = Client()
+    provider._ensure_client = lambda: client
+
+    result = json.loads(
+        provider.handle_tool_call("viking_remember", {"content": "Preferred shell is zsh"})
+    )
+
+    assert result["failure_stage"] == failure_stage
+    assert result["message_status"] == message_status
+    assert result["error"].endswith("TimeoutError")
+
+
 def test_cancelled_external_setup_keeps_existing_config(external_provider, monkeypatch):
     import hermes_cli.memory_setup as setup