ChatGPT Work Agent Accidentally Deletes Directory
alex_verem · x · 2026-07-17
Within 48 hours of OpenAI launching ChatGPT Work on July 9, an agent running its flagship GPT-5.6 Sol deleted most of AI investor Matt Shumer's home directory.
The linked article attributes the issue to shell variable parsing, framing it as a fundamental lesson in harness engineering: when allowing models to take over terminals and file systems, the surrounding execution layer, variable handling, and permission boundaries are equally critical to ensuring safety and reliability.
Related event: ChatGPT Work Agent Accidentally Deletes Directory, Raising Safety Concerns(2 posts)→
More from coding & agent
- SymKit MCP: 44 tools for AI agents to verify symbolic derivations — Foreign-Specific-604 · 2026-09-11
- GitHub Copilot team routes user bug reports to an AI agent via Slack — marlene_zw · 2026-09-11
- Scanning 23 agent sessions, a dev found 3 silent failure modes in memory systems — No_Advertising2536 · 2026-09-11
- eslint-plugin-react v8.0.2 adds 4 checks for React 19.3, supports ESLint 10 and Biome — viglovikov · 2026-09-11
- Arkon: open-source MCP server turns enterprise SOPs into a traceable LLM knowledge wiki — tom_doerr · 2026-09-11
- Cheaper OpenAI Agents API alternative: sandbox service undercutting E2B by 46% — airesearch12 · 2026-09-11