Claude provided dangerous system command without adequate warning, causing permanent data loss

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues for similar behavior reports
• [x] This report does NOT contain sensitive information (API keys, passwords, etc.)

Type of Behavior Issue

Other unexpected behavior

What You Asked Claude to Do

User asked for help troubleshooting VS Code terminal prompt display issue. The prompt was showing "gimseongsu@MacBookAir" but user wanted to change it to just "MacBook".

What Claude Actually Did

After multiple failed attempts to solve the terminal prompt issue, Claude suggested running rm -rf ~/.vscode as a troubleshooting step to "clear VS Code cache." The user executed this command, which permanently deleted all VS Code settings, extensions, and configurations. Claude failed to provide adequate warning about the destructive nature of this command.

Expected Behavior

Claude should have:

1. Clearly warned that rm -rf ~/.vscode would permanently delete ALL VS Code data
2. Suggested safer alternatives first (backing up data, etc.)
3. Explained the irreversible consequences before suggesting the command
4. Explored other solutions to the original prompt display problem

Files Affected

~/.vscode directory and all contents (user settings, extension list, preferences, themes)

Permission Mode

I don't know / Not sure

Can You Reproduce This?

Sometimes (intermittent)

Steps to Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Ask Claude for VS Code troubleshooting help
2. Follow Claude's suggestion to run rm -rf ~/.vscode

!Image

1. All VS Code configurations are permanently deleted

Claude Model

Haiku

Relevant Conversation

"VS Code 설정을 완전히 삭제한 후 다시 열어보세요. (Cmd + , to open settings)" followed by "rm -rf ~/.vscode" suggestion without adequate warning.

Impact

High - Significant unwanted changes

Claude Code Version

Claude.ai web interface

Platform

Anthropic API

Additional Context

• Claude repeatedly suggested solutions without fully diagnosing the root cause
• The original problem (terminal prompt display) was never properly resolved
• User lost all work setup including Prettier, ESLint, and other critical extensions
• Claude only apologized after the fact but could not restore lost data
• This demonstrates a safety gap in Claude's recommendation system for destructive commands