🔒 prevent-llm-delete

A cross-platform CLI tool that wraps deletion commands to prevent accidental permanent deletions by LLMs and humans alike.

No dependencies. Single binary. Works everywhere.

Why?

LLMs (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) sometimes run destructive commands like rm -rf when they shouldn't. This tool prevents those accidents by replacing deletion commands with safe wrappers that use trash/recycle bin instead.

Features

✅ Zero dependencies - Single compiled binary, no runtime required ✅ Cross-platform - Windows, macOS, Linux ✅ Multi-shell - bash, zsh, fish, PowerShell ✅ Smart detection - Won't overwrite existing rm overrides ✅ Auto flag stripping - Removes -r, -f, -rf, -Recurse, -Force ✅ Recoverable - Uses trash-cli (Unix) or Recycle Bin (Windows) ✅ Safe installation - Backs up your config before modifying

Installation

⚡ Quick Install (Recommended)

Using npx (all platforms):

npx prevent-llm-delete

That's it! This downloads, installs, and sets up the wrapper automatically.

📦 Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install yourusername/tap/prevent-llm-delete
prevent-llm-delete install
source ~/.zshrc  # or restart terminal

🌐 Curl Install (macOS/Linux)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Munasco/prevent-llm-delete/main/install.sh | bash
prevent-llm-delete install
source ~/.zshrc  # or restart terminal

📥 Download Binary

1. Download for your platform from Releases:

   • macOS (Intel): prevent-llm-delete-darwin-amd64.tar.gz
   • macOS (Apple Silicon): prevent-llm-delete-darwin-arm64.tar.gz
   • Linux (x64): prevent-llm-delete-linux-amd64.tar.gz
   • Linux (ARM): prevent-llm-delete-linux-arm64.tar.gz
   • Windows: prevent-llm-delete-windows-amd64.zip

2. Extract and install:

   # macOS/Linux
   tar -xzf prevent-llm-delete-*.tar.gz
   sudo mv prevent-llm-delete-* /usr/local/bin/prevent-llm-delete
   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/prevent-llm-delete
   
   # Windows (PowerShell as Administrator)
   Expand-Archive prevent-llm-delete-windows-amd64.zip
   Move-Item prevent-llm-delete.exe C:\Windows\System32\

3. Run the installer:

   prevent-llm-delete install

🛠️ Build from Source

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/prevent-llm-delete.git
cd prevent-llm-delete

# Build
make build

# Install
make install

# Or build for all platforms
make build-all

Usage

Quick Start

# Install the wrapper
prevent-llm-delete install

# Check status
prevent-llm-delete status

# Reload your shell
source ~/.zshrc  # bash/zsh
source ~/.config/fish/config.fish  # fish
# Or restart PowerShell on Windows

How It Works

Before:

rm -rf important-files/
# ❌ Files gone forever!

After:

rm -rf important-files/
# ⚠️  Dangerous flag '-rf' stripped by prevent-llm-delete
# ✅ Files safely moved to trash - recoverable!

Platform-Specific Examples

Unix/macOS (bash/zsh/fish)

# Safe deletions (files go to trash)
rm file.txt
rm *.log
rm -rf dangerous-dir  # -rf is stripped, uses trash

# Bypass if you really need real rm
command rm file.txt       # One-time bypass
unset -f rm               # Disable for session
source ~/.zshrc           # Re-enable

Windows (PowerShell)

# Safe deletions (files go to Recycle Bin)
Remove-Item file.txt
rm file.txt
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force dir  # Flags stripped

# Bypass if needed
Microsoft.PowerShell.Management\Remove-Item file.txt

Commands

prevent-llm-delete install      # Install the wrapper
prevent-llm-delete uninstall    # Remove the wrapper
prevent-llm-delete status       # Check installation status
prevent-llm-delete version      # Show version
prevent-llm-delete help         # Show help

How It Works

The tool adds a function to your shell config that:

1. Intercepts rm commands (or Remove-Item on Windows)
2. Strips dangerous flags like -r, -f, -rf
3. Redirects to trash (or Windows Recycle Bin)
4. Shows warnings when flags are removed

Unix Shells (bash/zsh)

rm() {
  # Strip dangerous flags
  # Use trash instead of rm
  command trash "${args[@]}"
}

PowerShell (Windows)

function Remove-Item {
  # Strip -Recurse and -Force
  # Use Windows Recycle Bin COM API
}

Configuration Files Modified

| Platform | Shell | Config File | |----------|-------|-------------| | macOS/Linux | bash | ~/.bashrc | | macOS/Linux | zsh | ~/.zshrc | | macOS/Linux | fish | ~/.config/fish/config.fish | | Windows | PowerShell | ~/Documents/PowerShell/Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1 |

Note: Original config is backed up to <config>.backup before modification.

Safety Features

✅ Detects existing overrides - Won't clobber your custom rm functions ✅ Backs up configs - Creates .backup files before changes ✅ Clear warnings - Shows when dangerous flags are stripped ✅ Easy bypass - Advanced users can access real rm when needed ✅ Recoverable deletions - Files go to trash/recycle bin ✅ Cross-platform - Works on Windows, macOS, Linux ✅ No runtime - Single compiled binary with no dependencies

Status Check

$ prevent-llm-delete status

📊 prevent-llm-delete status:

   Platform:     darwin
   Shell:        zsh
   Config:       /Users/you/.zshrc

   Installation: ✅ Installed
   trash-cli:    ✅ Available

ℹ️  The rm command is wrapped to use trash
   - Dangerous flags (-r, -f, -rf) are automatically stripped
   - Use `command rm` to access the real rm if needed

Requirements

macOS/Linux

• trash-cli (auto-installed during setup)
  • macOS: brew install trash
  • Linux: sudo apt install trash-cli

Windows

• PowerShell (built-in)
• Uses Windows Recycle Bin (no extra tools needed)

Uninstallation

# Remove the wrapper (keeps the binary)
prevent-llm-delete uninstall

# Remove the binary
# macOS/Linux
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/prevent-llm-delete

# Homebrew
brew uninstall prevent-llm-delete

# Windows
Remove-Item C:\Windows\System32\prevent-llm-delete.exe

Existing rm Overrides

If you already have a custom rm function, the tool will detect it and warn you:

⚠️  Warning: An existing rm override/alias/function was detected

Your shell config already has a custom rm definition.
Installing prevent-llm-delete will NOT override it.

Options:
  1. Remove your existing rm override manually and run install again
  2. Keep your existing override (it may already provide similar protection)

Why This Matters

When working with AI coding assistants:

1. LLMs make mistakes - They might run rm -rf unnecessarily
2. Context is limited - AI doesn't always know what's important
3. Humans make mistakes too - This protects you from accidents
4. Recovery is key - Trash is recoverable, rm -rf is not
5. Peace of mind - Code with confidence knowing you have a safety net

Development

# Build
make build

# Build for all platforms
make build-all

# Run tests
make test

# Create release archives
make release

# Clean
make clean

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Ideas:

• [ ] Whitelist/blacklist for specific paths
• [ ] Dry-run mode to see what would be deleted
• [ ] GUI for managing trashed files
• [ ] Config file for custom behavior
• [ ] Integration tests

License

MIT

Related Projects

• trash-cli - Cross-platform trash utility
• safe-rm - Wrapper to prevent accidental deletions
• trashy - Alternative trash CLI in Rust

Remember: Even with this protection, always review what LLMs are doing before approving operations!