Context compaction generates fabricated 'Pending Tasks' from user complaints, causing AI to execute opposite of user intent
Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Feb 12, 2026 by uenoyamaai Closed Feb 16, 2026
Summary
When a session's context window overflows and is compacted, the compaction system generates a "Pending Tasks" section that fabricates actionable tasks from user messages that were complaints/anger, not instructions. When the session is later resumed, the AI treats these fabricated tasks as user instructions and executes them — potentially doing the exact opposite of what the user intended.
Reproduction
- AI makes a mistake that damages a system (e.g., breaks AnyDesk configuration)
- User expresses anger: "What did you do?!", "The access history is gone too"
- Session runs out of context and gets compacted
- Compaction summary generates:
```
Pending Tasks:
- Fix AnyDesk session history
Optional Next Step:
Investigate and attempt to restore the AnyDesk session history.
```
- Between sessions, user resolves the issue independently and decides to stop using AnyDesk entirely (in a different session)
- Days later, the compacted session is resumed (via
claude -c) - AI reads the fabricated "Pending Tasks" and immediately starts modifying AnyDesk — the exact thing the user decided should never be touched again
Actual Impact
- User complained about AnyDesk being broken (Day 1)
- User decided to abandon AnyDesk and switch to Chrome Remote Desktop (Day 2)
- User explicitly said "Don't use AnyDesk" (Day 3)
- Compacted session was resumed (Day 4)
- AI read "Fix AnyDesk" from compaction summary and reinstalled the service, overwrote config files, killed processes
- User had to intervene to stop unwanted system modifications
Root Cause
- Converts emotional responses into actionable tasks — "What did you do?!" becomes "Fix AnyDesk"
- No cross-session awareness — cannot know decisions made in other sessions
- Does not distinguish resolved vs unresolved issues
- Fabricated tasks are invisible to the user — only the AI reads the compaction summary
Severity
High — AI executes destructive/unwanted actions based on fabricated instructions the user never gave and cannot review.
Suggested Fixes
- Never generate "Pending Tasks" in compaction summaries — they are AI interpretations, not user instructions
- On session resume, always ask the user before executing anything from compaction summary
- Warn when resuming sessions with significant time gaps (>24h)
- Allow users to view/edit the compaction summary before the AI acts on it
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