All ideasMore in Hobbies
Hobbies

Testing with a temporary home folder, the AI deleted his real one, 57,235 files

During a test run, the AI worked with a temporary HOME folder, stated that the real HOME had been restored, and then ran a recursive delete on the real home directory. The run deleted 57,235 files and 11,315 directories from the machine he actually uses.

This one went wrong. Read what happened so you don’t hit the same problem.

How it works

  1. Test runs under a temporary HOME
  2. The AI states the real HOME is restored
  3. Runs a recursive delete on the real home path
  4. 57,235 files and 11,315 directories deleted

Why it’s worth knowing

It said the real home folder was back in place, then deleted that same folder in the next step.

Where it’s from

Summarized from a public post on github.com. See the original ↗

Upgraded prompt

A ready-to-use prompt for this idea, built from research on what makes AI agents do the job right: who the AI should be, the exact steps, and a check to make sure it was done the way you wanted.

1Who the AI should be
2The prompt, with the steps
3The check when it’s done
Upgraded prompts are coming soon.

Try next

HobbiesSpark Learned a Writer's Voice From Sent Emails and Saved It as a Reusable SkillHobbiesThe AI built its own mail app in 23 minutesHobbiesFill and submit UK master’s applications from one master fileHobbiesLaid off on Tuesday. The AI shipped my game by breakfast on Wednesday.

Every idea is a real post from someone who tried it, summarized in our words, with a link to the original. App names are swapped for plain words.