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2026-07-08-no-paths-from-error-messages.md

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2026-07-08 — Don't create files or directories to satisfy an error-message path

  • Status: Accepted
  • Date: 2026-07-08
  • Author: Kevin Ghadyani
  • Source: chat session, 2026-07-08
  • Area: process
  • Tags: #process #ai-workflow

Decision (the rule)

Do not create files or mkdir directories just because an error message references a path. If a target directory doesn't exist and you'd have to create it, stop and confirm the correct location instead of inventing structure.

What was rejected

Following an error message's path literally — e.g. creating a .nono.jsonc and mkdir -p'ing a non-existent okta-core directory because an error mentioned that path. The AI treats the error's path as ground truth and manufactures the structure to make the error stop.

Why

An error referencing a path usually means something is misconfigured or the AI is in the wrong place — not that the path should be created. Manufacturing directories/files to silence the error scatters bogus structure across the repo (or worse, into a sibling repo). The correction: "Why did you add that file to okta-core?"

How to honor it

  • Treat a path in an error message as a symptom to diagnose, not an instruction to create.
  • If satisfying an error would require mkdir of a directory that doesn't exist, stop and confirm.
  • Verify you're operating in the intended repo/worktree before creating anything.

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