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2 articles
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Claude CodeClaude Code Replaced Broken Configs With a 258-Byte Default
Claude Code 2.1.317, started headless (claude -p, or a subcommand such as claude mcp list), copies an unparseable ~/.claude.json to backups/, writes a 258-byte six-key default in its place and exits 1; the next start runs on the default with no MCP servers and no trusted folders and says nothing. Hands-on in a throwaway CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR: a /* comment */, a file cut at 60%, an empty file, and an empty file with backups present all reset the same way; claude --version left the file alone; an interactive start under a pseudo-terminal showed the two-option dialog and left it alone; the restore hint named a planted empty newest backup; a backup of the broken file is written 7 ms after the .corrupted copy. On this Mac the file is 619 KB, 124 keys, 221 project entries (160 trusted), 8 user-scope MCP servers; five backups spanning ten hours. 12 parallel claude mcp add landed 12/12; four batches of 40 landed 159/160 with all 160 exiting 0 (srv35 printed Added and was missing). Timeline: 1.0.31 (20 June 2025) fixed the same reset; issues 69354 (18 June 2026, 2.1.142), 73590 (2 July, Windows, 45 .corrupted files) and 87551 (18 August, reproduced by claude[bot] on 2.1.234 within 32 minutes, labels data-loss + reproduced, closed stale by github-actions 20 September). 2.1.318 (npm 2026-11-03 21:55 UTC) cites #87551 and says the start now fails and leaves the file; six changelog lines about the file in total. 2.1.318 not run: auto-updater had not fetched it, the sandboxed session refused a direct download.
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CodexTurn On Codex Memories and a Hidden Agent Starts Up
Codex CLI 0.165.0 (27 October 2026) made memory v2 the default for fresh profiles. Hands-on with eleven empty CODEX_HOME directories: 'fresh' means ~/.codex/memories does not exist, an empty folder with that name keeps a new install on v1, memories.version accepts only the strings "v1" and "v2", memories.dual_write = false pins v1, and neither key is in the configuration reference. Memories stay off by default, and the v1 database file is created even then. With memories on, the first start spawns a hidden consolidation agent on GPT-5.6 Terra (medium effort, approvals never, workspace-write sandbox, network off) that runs rg, sed, find and git inside the empty memory folder; when codex exec exits within about 15 seconds the job is recorded as failed_agent with a retry exactly 3,600 seconds later, and with a 90-second turn it finished in 23 seconds and wrote a 241-byte template summary. The external_agent_memory_import flag the release note implies is under development and off.