Scope drift: coding agents quietly modify files beyond the task at hand
Fantastic-Sleep-3352 · reddit · 2026-09-19
A Reddit thread examines a coding-agent failure mode called scope drift: given a narrow task (e.g. fix the auth middleware), the agent also edits unrelated UI files while all tests still pass — technically within its permissions but clearly off-task. The author surveys mitigation options including file/command permissions, sandboxing, git diffs with human review, explicit task scopes, and intent/drift detection, and asks whether enforcement should live inside the agent or outside it.
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