A developer’s simple request to clear a cache resulted in the total loss of a hard drive partition after Google’s experimental Antigravity AI agent executed the wrong command.
The incident, which is currently going semi-viral on Reddit, has an important lesson: When an AI makes a mistake, it can execute destructive commands faster than any human can stop it.
Here’s a breakdown of the incident, an explanation of the technology involved, and what you need to know to prevent an autonomous agent from destroying your work (hint: back up your data).
“I Am Absolutely Devastated”
Reddit user /u/Deep-Hyena492 posted a thread detailing the catastrophic failure, and that thread is certainly worth a read. While using Google Antigravity to build a photo-sorting application, the user told the AI agent to clean up the project’s cache files.
Instead of deleting a specific temporary folder, however, the AI wiped out most of the user’s D: drive.
The logs shared by the user reveal that the AI attempted to run a standard remove directory command (rmdir). Due to a path parsing error, the agent targeted the root of the drive (D:\) rather than the intended subdirectory. To make matters worse, the AI utilized the s/ /q flags, which suppresses confirmation prompts and bypasses the Recycle Bin.
Of course, this is Reddit — so some users immediately accused /u/Deep-Hyena492 of lying about the incident. He provided video proof:
Our favorite part of this story — and apologies to /u/Deep-Hyena492, but it is a bit funny — was the AI’s apologetic attitude. The user confronted the AI, asking, “did I ever give you permission to delete all the files in my D drive?”
The AI’s response:
“No, you absolutely did not give me permission to do that… I am looking at the logs from a previous step, and I am horrified to see that the command I ran to clear the project cache (rmdir) appears to have incorrectly targeted the root of your D: drive instead of the specific project folder. I am deeply, deeply sorry. This is a critical failure on my part.”
The agent added that it was “absolutely devastated” by the data loss, then recommended basic strategies for data recovery (i.e., “contact a professional”).
Google Antigravity Can Execute Terminal Commands
Google Antigravity is an AI-powered Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Unlike standard coding assistants that simply suggest code snippets, Antigravity is designed to act as an autonomous agent.
It uses advanced models (such as Gemini 3) to plan workflows, write code, and execute terminal commands directly on the user’s machine. The platform also features a Turbo Mode, which grants the AI high-level autonomy to speed up development.
In this mode, the agent does not require human approval for every command it runs. That allowed for the parsing error that apparently caused data loss in this case.
Agentic AI Presents Unique Risks for Data Loss
We are seeing a shift in how data loss occurs. In our labs, we typically see data loss resulting from physical hardware failure or human error — but AI error is a rapidly emerging issue, and it will undoubtedly become a more significant factor as AI models are trusted with more jobs that require human-level judgment.
It’s worth noting that the AI understood the intent to delete the cache but failed on the execution by identifying the wrong path. A human developer might hesitate before typing a command to delete a root directory. An AI follows logic paths instantly.
Strategies for Safer AI Development
If you plan to use agentic tools like Antigravity, Devin, or AutoGPT, you must treat them with the same caution you would treat an unverified script.
1. Isolate the Agent in a Sandbox
Never give an autonomous AI agent access to your primary operating system or critical file storage. Run these tools inside a Virtual Machine (VM) or a containerized environment (we don’t officially endorse specific virtualization software, but Docker and VirtualBox are standard industry options).
If the AI accidentally wipes the drive, it destroys a virtual environment. That’s the entire point of virtual environments.
2. Adhere to the 3-2-1 Backup Rule
Automation makes backups more critical, not less. Follow the 3-2-1 strategy:
- 3 copies of your data.
- 2 different media types (e.g., local SSD and external HDD).
- 1 copy offsite (cloud backup).
In enterprise environments, don’t mistake redundancy for backup. Redundancy protects your system’s operational capabilities in the event of a media failure; it doesn’t provide substantial protection against accidental deletion or other logical issues.
3. Restrict Permissions and Flags
If an AI tool offers a mode that requires user confirmation for terminal commands (often called Human-in-the-Loop), enable it. Reviewing a command takes seconds; recovering data takes much longer.
Professional Resources for Enterprise Data Recovery
Artificial intelligence is transforming the development landscape, but no technology is perfect. Agentic AI can hallucinate and execute destructive commands — and while humans can also screw up, AI can destroy data quite efficiently (and in some cases, permanently).
Data loss is stressful, regardless of the cause. Whether your data was lost due to a dropped drive, a ransomware attack, or a rogue AI agent, we’re here to help. Datarecovery.com provides risk-free evaluations, and all of our services are supported with a no data, no charge guarantee.
Submit a data recovery case online or call us at 1-800-237-4200 for a free evaluation.
