[Bug] MEMORY.md references files that were never written to disk
Bug Description
Bug: Claude Code MEMORY.md referenced a file that was never written to disk
What happened:
In a previous session, Claude had a detailed conversation about Expo Router limitations with me. Claude wrote a MEMORY.md entry that said See detailed notes: expo-router-limitations.md — implying the file had been created. It was never actually written
to disk. This was only discovered in a later session when I asked about the topic and Claude searched for the file.
Impact:
- The original conversation's insights about Expo Router limitations are permanently lost. There is no way to recover what was discussed.
- MEMORY.md contained a dangling reference for an unknown number of sessions, giving both me and future Claude instances the false impression that detailed notes existed.
- This fundamentally undermines trust in Claude Code's memory system. If Claude says it wrote something down, I need to be able to trust that it actually did.
Additionally found during audit:
Three other files referenced in MEMORY.md also never existed (tasks/conditions-ux.md, to-delete/binder-components/CategoryGrid.tsx, PatientInfoCard.tsx, useBinderDetail.ts). None were ever committed to git. A previous Claude instance likely described
moving/creating these files in conversation without actually executing the file operations.
Expected behavior:
- Claude should never write a reference to a file in MEMORY.md without first verifying the file exists on disk (via Read or Glob).
- If Claude says "I'll write this to X," it should actually call the Write tool before moving on.
- MEMORY.md entries that reference external files should be validated at session start.
Workaround applied:
Manually audited all MEMORY.md paths, removed stale references, and recreated expo-router-limitations.md from scratch (original content is lost).
Environment Info
- Platform: darwin
- Terminal: iTerm.app
- Version: 2.1.47
- Feedback ID: d72c3cf2-aa29-4ae0-a108-6c44d6330e8a
Errors
[{"error":"Error: Request was aborted.\n at J2R (/$bunfs/root/claude:963:49635)\n at next (native:1:11)\n at GoB (/$bunfs/root/claude:5553:5172)\n at next (native:1:11)\n at WoB (/$bunfs/root/claude:5558:9185)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T00:36:02.785Z"},{"error":"Error: Request was aborted.\n at makeRequest (/$bunfs/root/claude:358:3940)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T00:50:41.568Z"},{"error":"Error: Request was aborted.\n at makeRequest (/$bunfs/root/claude:358:3940)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T00:59:53.326Z"},{"error":"Error: File does not exist. Current working directory: /Users/imyjimmy/dev/pleb-emr/limbo-health/apps/react-native\n at call (/$bunfs/root/claude:1337:6219)\n at async <anonymous> (/$bunfs/root/claude:5809:2090)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T01:08:52.116Z"},{"error":"Error: File does not exist. Current working directory: /Users/imyjimmy/dev/pleb-emr/limbo-health/apps/react-native\n at call (/$bunfs/root/claude:1337:6219)\n at async <anonymous> (/$bunfs/root/claude:5809:2090)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T01:08:52.118Z"},{"error":"Error: Request was aborted.\n at makeRequest (/$bunfs/root/claude:358:3940)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T01:11:39.374Z"},{"error":"Error: Request was aborted.\n at makeRequest (/$bunfs/root/claude:358:3940)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T01:37:59.942Z"},{"error":"Error: File does not exist. Current working directory: /Users/imyjimmy/dev/pleb-emr/limbo-health/apps/react-native\n at call (/$bunfs/root/claude:1337:6219)\n at async hO8 (/$bunfs/root/claude:3376:14313)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T01:49:31.011Z"},{"error":"Error: Request was aborted.\n at makeRequest (/$bunfs/root/claude:358:3940)\n at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-02-19T02:00:42.426Z"}]This issue has 3 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗