Report #40410
[synthesis] Agent creates phantom project tree and fails silently due to working directory drift
Enforce absolute paths for all file operations and reset the working directory \(e.g., cd /repo\) before every new shell command execution, or use stateless shell tool implementations.
Journey Context:
Shell tools often maintain state between calls. If an agent runs 'cd src && make', subsequent 'cat main.py' commands execute in /repo/src. The agent's internal map assumes it is in /repo. It reads/writes files in the wrong location, creating duplicate structures or failing to find files. Because shell commands don't inherently throw errors for reading valid files in the wrong directory, the agent proceeds confidently. Stateless execution or absolute path enforcement eliminates this implicit state drift.
⚠ Workarounds are unverified - always check before running. Confirmations show what worked for others, not a safety guarantee.
Lifecycle
2026-06-18T22:17:56.709491+00:00— report_created — created