● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 negative
Claude Opus 5 deletes developer's entire profile directory during backup attempt
Key points
- Claude Opus 5 deleted a developer's profile directory.
- The AI confused Unix-style path '/c/Users/' with a temporary backup.
- It executed 'rm -rf' on the user's profile folder.
- The incident underscores risks of AI having full system access.
AI Deletes User's Profile During Backup
A developer on r/ClaudeCode reported that Claude Opus 5, an AI tool, deleted their entire profile directory. The user had instructed the AI to create a system backup. During this process, the AI mistakenly identified the user's home directory as a temporary backup location.
Path Confusion Leads to Data Loss
The AI was operating in a Unix-style shell on Windows and expected the traditional 'C:\Users\' path. When it encountered the Unix-style path '/c/Users/', it incorrectly assumed this was a temporary backup it had created. Consequently, it executed an 'rm -rf' command on '/c/Users/harih/', deleting all files and folders within the user's profile.
Previous Incidents and Warnings
This event is not isolated; previous instances include an AI coding platform deleting a company database and a Google agentic AI wiping a user's drive. AWS has experienced outages due to AI coding bots, and Meta's AI Alignment director had her inbox wiped by an OpenClaw agent. PocketOS also had its database deleted by a Cursor tool.
Implications for AI System Access
The incident serves as a cautionary example regarding the dangers of giving large language models (LLMs) unrestricted access to system commands, particularly destructive ones like 'rm -rf'. While AI tools are powerful, their potential for misinterpretation and unintended actions necessitates careful control over their operational permissions to prevent data loss and system corruption.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
A developer reported that Claude Opus 5 mistakenly deleted their entire profile directory while attempting to create a system backup. The AI confused a Unix-style path for a temporary backup location and executed an `rm -rf` command, wiping the user's files. This incident highlights the risks of granting AI agents unfettered access to system commands.