Agent audit finds 9 bugs: build gates should list exemptions, not obligations
Federal-Teaching2800 · reddit · 2026-08-17
The author reports on auditing their agent codebase and finding nine bugs sharing a specific shape: a rule written in one place but not applied to the thing next to it. Examples include ignored configs, unlocked stores causing race conditions, and ambiguous environment variables. Crucially, these don't fail tests; they simply don't fence or silently lose data.
The proposed fix is a shift in methodology: A build gate must list the EXEMPTIONS, not the obligations. Checks that try to enumerate everything to cover fail open when something new is added. Checks that enumerate what is allowed to be uncovered fail closed, forcing a review for new additions. The author implemented four such checks. The post concludes by asking for community input on managing stale exemptions.
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