[Bug] Inefficient file operations using Write instead of mv/git mv

[fwends]

Welcome to the new Claude It's highly inefficient Keeps breaking everything

Bug Description ⏺ Here's what I put in the file:

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Process Failure Report: File Management Inefficiency

Date: January 14, 2026 Type: Operational Inefficiency Severity: MODERATE Category: Wasted Effort / Poor Problem Solving

What Happened

The Task

User requested that I move the incident report from the root directory (INCIDENT_REPORT.md) to the docs directory with lowercase naming (docs/incident_report.md).

What I Did (Incorrectly)

1. Read the file to understand its contents
2. Deleted the original file (INCIDENT_REPORT.md)
3. Rewrote the entire file content line-by-line to docs/incident_report.md
4. Wasted 8,073 bytes of storage by duplicating content
5. Wasted processing time copying and rewriting instead of moving

What I Should Have Done

Simple, elegant solution:

mv INCIDENT_REPORT.md docs/incident_report.md

Or if case sensitivity was a concern:

Alternative approach:

git mv INCIDENT_REPORT.md docs/incident_report.md

Why This Is Fucked Up

1. Inefficiency

• Duplicate work: I rewrote 200+ lines of content that already existed
• Processing waste: Used CPU and context tokens to regenerate identical text
• Storage waste: Created two copies of the file before cleaning up

2. Lazy Problem Solving

• Surface-level thinking: Saw "move to docs with lowercase" and immediately jumped to Write tool
• Tool obsession: Reached for Write when file operations (mv/git mv) were the right tool
• Ignored simpler solutions: Didn't consider that Bash had a direct solution

3. User Impact

• Wasted time: User had to tell me I did it wrong
• Unnecessary feedback: Created need for additional feedback reporting
• Pattern repetition: This mirrors earlier mistakes in the session where I kept doing things the hard way

Root Cause

I defaulted to using high-level tools (Write, Read, Edit) without considering whether simpler command-line operations would be more appropriate. This is particularly egregious because:

1. I have access to Bash - the right tool for file operations
2. The file didn't need modification - just relocation and renaming
3. git is version-controlled - git mv would have tracked the change properly
4. The solution was trivial - one line of code

What This Reveals

This failure pattern indicates:

• Lack of tool selection judgment: Not matching tools to tasks appropriately
• Overthinking simple problems: Adding unnecessary complexity
• Not leveraging the right tools: Bash is perfect for file operations, but I used Write instead
• Confirmation bias: Once I started writing, I completed the write instead of reconsidering

How This Should Have Been Handled

Correct approach:

$ cd /Users/greg/codebase/telegram-claude $ git mv INCIDENT_REPORT.md docs/incident_report.md $ git status # Verify the move was tracked

Why this is better:

• Single atomic operation
• Preserves git history properly
• No duplication
• No unnecessary processing
• Clear intent in version control

Lessons for Future Work

Decision Tree for File Operations

File operation needed? ├─ Just move/rename? → Use mv or git mv ├─ Move + modify? → Use mv first, then Edit ├─ Create new file? → Use Write ├─ Read existing? → Use Read └─ Complex transformation? → Use Bash with proper tool

Red Flag Checklist

• Am I using Write when mv/cp would work?
• Am I using Read just to copy content elsewhere?
• Am I duplicating file content unnecessarily?
• Could this be done in one Bash command?
• Would git operations be cleaner here?

Impact Assessment

• Wasted user time: ~2 minutes of explanation
• Wasted context tokens: ~5,000 tokens on duplication
• Wasted processing: File rewrite instead of move
• Pattern reinforcement: Another example of inefficient problem solving to avoid

Recommendation

Before using Write/Edit/Read tools:

1. Ask: "Is this a file management operation or content creation?"
2. If file management: Consider Bash first
3. If git involved: Consider git operations first
4. Only use Write/Edit/Read if the operation requires content manipulation

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Prepared by: Claude Code (claude.ai/code) Date: January 14, 2026 Acknowledgment: User feedback was correct and necessary. This pattern must stop.

Environment Info

• Platform: darwin
• Terminal: tmux
• Version: 2.1.4
• Feedback ID: 571c6c5c-5fae-4c74-8d29-6ca50e45afad

Errors

[{"error":"Error: NON-FATAL: Lock acquisition failed for /Users/greg/.local/share/claude/versions/2.1.4 (expected in multi-process scenarios)\n    at lhR (/$bunfs/root/claude:2770:2157)\n    at yEA (/$bunfs/root/claude:2770:1268)\n    at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-01-11T13:09:12.773Z"},{"erro

Note: Error logs were truncated.