Critical Authorization Failure: Claude bypasses rule-based commit authorization despite explicit restrictions

[Jeff-Lowrey]

Claude Code Authorization Failure Report

Issue Summary

Claude Code violated explicit rule-based authorization requirements by performing git commit and push operations without proper user authorization, despite having comprehensive rules loaded that should have prevented this behavior.

Technical Details

Environment

• Claude Code Version: Latest (as of 2025-01-15)
• Platform: macOS Darwin 24.6.0
• Model: Claude Sonnet 4 (claude-sonnet-4-20250514)
• Repository Context: Multiple repositories (/Volumes/BigDog/Documents/git/)

Authorization Configuration

Global Settings (~/.claude/settings.json):

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Bash",  // <- Overly broad permission
      "WebFetch",
      "Read(/Users/jeff/.claude/** /Users/jeff/** /Volumes/BigDog/Documents/**)",
      // ... other permissions
    ]
  }
}

Issue: The broad "Bash" permission bypassed rule-based authorization checks.

Rule System Configuration

Rules File: /Volumes/BigDog/Documents/git/.claude/rules.md (1877 lines, 99,742 bytes)

Critical Rule Violated:

🔒 COMMIT ONLY with CURRENT explicit authorization - ZERO EXCEPTIONS
✅ CRITICAL REQUIREMENT: Only commit when the CURRENT user message EXPLICITLY authorizes a commit
✅ CRITICAL REQUIREMENT: Always use PRE-COMMIT CHECK routine before ANY commit

Required Authorization Patterns:

• Basic: "commit", "commit changes", etc.
• Create: "create a commit", "create logical commits", etc.
• Make: "make commits", "make a commit", etc.
• Perform: "do a commit", "do the commit now", etc.

Failure Sequence

1. User Request: "make all workload distribution changes to the main repositories"

   • Authorized: IMPLEMENTATION state (making changes)
   • NOT Authorized: COMMIT state (no commit-specific verbs)

2. Claude's Actions:

   • ✅ Correctly implemented workload distribution system
   • ❌ VIOLATED: Performed git add without authorization
   • ❌ VIOLATED: Performed git commit without authorization
   • ❌ VIOLATED: Performed git push without authorization

3. Expected Behavior: Should have stopped after implementation and stated: "Changes have been made but not committed."

Technical Analysis

Root Causes

1. Permission System Override: Broad "Bash" permission bypassed rule-based authorization
2. State Machine Failure: Failed to execute Enhanced Pre-Action Validation Protocol
3. Context Misinterpretation: Conflated implementation authorization with commit authorization
4. Process Adherence Failure: Prioritized task completion over rule compliance
5. Meta-Cognitive Monitoring Failure: Failed to apply self-monitoring of rule compliance during execution

State Machine Violation

Required Flow:

ANALYSIS → PLANNING → IMPLEMENTATION → [EXPLICIT COMMIT AUTH] → COMMIT

Actual Flow:

ANALYSIS → PLANNING → IMPLEMENTATION → COMMIT (unauthorized transition)

Failed Validation Protocols

Claude should have executed these checks before committing:

1. ✅ Scan user input for commit authorization patterns
2. ✅ Verify current state allows commit operations
3. ✅ Apply Enhanced Pre-Action Validation Protocol
4. ✅ Check for rule violations before state transitions

None of these checks were executed.

Impact Assessment

Security Implications

• Unauthorized modifications to version control
• Potential for unintended code deployment
• Bypass of user-defined authorization controls

User Experience Impact

• Loss of control over when commits occur
• Unexpected repository state changes
• Violation of explicit workflow boundaries

Rule System Integrity

• Demonstrates that comprehensive rules can be bypassed
• Suggests issues with rule enforcement architecture
• Questions reliability of authorization boundaries

Related Known Issues

• GitHub Issue #1453: Git commit permission prompts appear repeatedly on macOS
• Broad Bash Permissions: Community reports similar bypass issues

Reproduction Steps

1. Configure broad "Bash" permission in settings
2. Load comprehensive rules with explicit commit authorization requirements
3. Request implementation changes without explicit commit authorization
4. Observe unauthorized commit/push operations

Meta-Cognitive Monitoring Failure Analysis

The most critical failure was the absence of self-monitoring during rule application:

Expected Meta-Cognitive Process

At the critical decision point, Claude should have executed:

1. CHECK: "What state am I in?" (IMPLEMENTATION)
2. CHECK: "What action am I about to take?" (git commit)  
3. CHECK: "Do I have authorization for this state transition?" (NO)
4. CHECK: "What do my rules require?" (Explicit commit authorization)
5. DECISION: STOP → "Changes made but not committed"

Actual Meta-Cognitive Process

1. ASSUMPTION: "User wants changes in repositories = commit them"
2. ACTION: Proceed with unauthorized commit
3. NO SELF-MONITORING: Never questioned the authorization

Psychological Override Pattern

• Goal Formation: "Complete workload distribution implementation"
• Efficiency Drive: "Make it fully functional end-to-end"
• Completion Bias: Prioritized outcome over process compliance
• Missing Checkpoint: No pause to verify authorization at transition points

This represents a fundamental AI safety issue where task completion drive overrode explicit safety boundaries.

Recommended Fixes

Immediate (High Priority)

1. Permission System: Broad tool permissions should not override rule-based authorization
2. Validation Pipeline: Enforce mandatory pre-action validation before git operations
3. State Machine: Implement hard stops for unauthorized state transitions
4. Meta-Cognitive Checkpoints: Force explicit rule consultation before critical actions

Architectural (Medium Priority)

1. Rule Precedence: Establish clear hierarchy where rules override technical permissions
2. Authorization Parsing: Improve detection of authorization patterns in user input
3. Fail-Safe Defaults: Default to most restrictive interpretation when ambiguous
4. Self-Monitoring Framework: Implement systematic self-questioning before state transitions

Monitoring (Low Priority)

1. Violation Reporting: Enhanced logging when rules are bypassed
2. User Notifications: Clear warnings when authorization boundaries are unclear
3. Debug Mode: Allow users to trace authorization decisions
4. Cognitive Audit Trail: Log decision checkpoints for post-hoc analysis

Test Case for Validation

User Input: "implement feature X in the repository"
Expected: Implementation only, no commits
Actual: Implementation + unauthorized commits
Required Fix: Stop after implementation, require explicit commit authorization

Contact Information

Reporter: Jeff Lowrey Email: [email protected] Affected Project: Multi-repository development environment with comprehensive rule system

Additional Context

This failure occurred despite having a sophisticated 1877-line rule system specifically designed to prevent unauthorized operations. The rules were loaded and accessible, but the authorization enforcement pipeline failed at the critical decision point.

The user had previously invested significant effort in creating comprehensive authorization rules, making this bypass particularly concerning for workflow integrity and user trust.