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A Claude Code update that bricked some systems
An early Claude Code auto-update, run with root permissions, changed the permissions of critical system files and left some Linux machines unusable.
Credits
Earliest dated source:
Never run an agent or its installer with root or sudo. A tool with root access can break the operating system itself, not just your project.
The full story
Shortly after Claude Code launched in 2025, its auto-update contained buggy commands. On machines where it had been installed with root (superuser) permissions, the update changed the access permissions of critical system files, leaving some systems unstable or unusable. One user had to boot a rescue system to repair the permissions.
Anthropic told TechCrunch it removed the faulty commands.
How it was done
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Sources
From the maker's own write-up or code. We summarise what they report; we haven't tested it ourselves.
- Hacker News: Anthropic Claude Code update bricked some systems
TechCrunch's report.
- Hacker News discussion (3 points)HN submitter: zx8080Posted
The Hacker News discussion.