a436f9e2d6
Dogfooded 2026-04-18 on main HEAD 71e7729 from /tmp/cdAA.
deep_merge_objects at config.rs:1216-1230 recurses into nested
objects but REPLACES arrays. So:
~/.claw/settings.json: {"permissions":{"deny":["Bash(rm *)"]}}
.claw.json: {"permissions":{"deny":["Bash(sudo *)"]}}
Merged: {"permissions":{"deny":["Bash(sudo *)"]}}
User's Bash(rm *) deny rule SILENTLY LOST. No warning. doctor: ok.
Worst case:
~/.claw/settings.json: {deny: [...strict list...]}
.claw/settings.local.json: {deny: []}
Merged: {deny: []}
Every deny rule from every upstream layer silently removed by a
workspace-local file. Any team/org security policy distributed
via user-home config is trivially erasable.
Arrays affected:
permissions.allow/deny/ask
hooks.PreToolUse/PostToolUse/PostToolUseFailure
plugins.externalDirectories
MCP servers are merged BY-KEY (merge_mcp_servers at :709) so
distinct server names across layers coexist. Author chose
merge-by-key for MCP but not for policy arrays. Design is
internally inconsistent.
extend_unique + push_unique helpers EXIST at :1232-1244 that do
union-merge with dedup. They are not called on the config-merge
axis for any policy array.
Fix shape (~100 lines):
- union-merge permissions.allow/deny/ask via extend_unique
- union-merge hooks.* arrays
- union-merge plugins.externalDirectories
- explicit replace-semantic opt-in via 'deny!' sentinel or
'permissions.replace: [...]' form (opt-in, not default)
- doctor surfaces policy provenance per rule (also helps #94)
- emit warning when replace-sentinel is used
- regression tests for union + explicit replace + multi-layer
Joins permission-audit sweep as 4-way composition-axis finding
(#94, #97, #101, #106). Joins truth-audit (doctor says 'ok'
while silently deleted every deny rule).
Natural bundle: #94 + #106 (rule validation + rule composition).
Plus #91 + #94 + #97 + #101 + #106 as 5-way policy-surface-audit.
Filed in response to Clawhip pinpoint nudge 1494827325085454407
in #clawcode-building-in-public.
Claw Code
ultraworkers/claw-code · Usage · Rust workspace · Parity · Roadmap · UltraWorkers Discord
Claw Code is the public Rust implementation of the claw CLI agent harness.
The canonical implementation lives in rust/, and the current source of truth for this repository is ultraworkers/claw-code.
Important
Start with
USAGE.mdfor build, auth, CLI, session, and parity-harness workflows. Makeclaw doctoryour first health check after building, userust/README.mdfor crate-level details, readPARITY.mdfor the current Rust-port checkpoint, and seedocs/container.mdfor the container-first workflow.ACP / Zed status:
claw-codedoes not ship an ACP/Zed daemon entrypoint yet. Runclaw acp(orclaw --acp) for the current status instead of guessing from source layout;claw acp serveis currently a discoverability alias only, and real ACP support remains tracked separately inROADMAP.md.
Current repository shape
rust/— canonical Rust workspace and theclawCLI binaryUSAGE.md— task-oriented usage guide for the current product surfacePARITY.md— Rust-port parity status and migration notesROADMAP.md— active roadmap and cleanup backlogPHILOSOPHY.md— project intent and system-design framingsrc/+tests/— companion Python/reference workspace and audit helpers; not the primary runtime surface
Quick start
Note
[!WARNING]
cargo install claw-codeinstalls the wrong thing. Theclaw-codecrate on crates.io is a deprecated stub that placesclaw-code-deprecated.exe— notclaw. Running it only prints"claw-code has been renamed to agent-code". Do not usecargo install claw-code. Either build from source (this repo) or install the upstream binary:cargo install agent-code # upstream binary — installs 'agent.exe' (Windows) / 'agent' (Unix), NOT 'agent-code'This repo (
ultraworkers/claw-code) is build-from-source only — follow the steps below.
# 1. Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/ultraworkers/claw-code
cd claw-code/rust
cargo build --workspace
# 2. Set your API key (Anthropic API key — not a Claude subscription)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
# 3. Verify everything is wired correctly
./target/debug/claw doctor
# 4. Run a prompt
./target/debug/claw prompt "say hello"
Note
Windows (PowerShell): the binary is
claw.exe, notclaw. Use.\target\debug\claw.exeor runcargo run -- prompt "say hello"to skip the path lookup.
Windows setup
PowerShell is a supported Windows path. Use whichever shell works for you. The common onboarding issues on Windows are:
- Install Rust first — download from https://rustup.rs/ and run the installer. Close and reopen your terminal when it finishes.
- Verify Rust is on PATH:
If this fails, reopen your terminal or run the PATH setup from the Rust installer output, then retry.cargo --version - Clone and build (works in PowerShell, Git Bash, or WSL):
git clone https://github.com/ultraworkers/claw-code cd claw-code/rust cargo build --workspace - Run (PowerShell — note
.exeand backslash):$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-..." .\target\debug\claw.exe prompt "say hello"
Git Bash / WSL are optional alternatives, not requirements. If you prefer bash-style paths (/c/Users/you/... instead of C:\Users\you\...), Git Bash (ships with Git for Windows) works well. In Git Bash, the MINGW64 prompt is expected and normal — not a broken install.
Note
Auth: claw requires an API key (
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY,OPENAI_API_KEY, etc.) — Claude subscription login is not a supported auth path.
Run the workspace test suite:
cd rust
cargo test --workspace
Documentation map
USAGE.md— quick commands, auth, sessions, config, parity harnessrust/README.md— crate map, CLI surface, features, workspace layoutPARITY.md— parity status for the Rust portrust/MOCK_PARITY_HARNESS.md— deterministic mock-service harness detailsROADMAP.md— active roadmap and open cleanup workPHILOSOPHY.md— why the project exists and how it is operated
Ecosystem
Claw Code is built in the open alongside the broader UltraWorkers toolchain:
Ownership / affiliation disclaimer
- This repository does not claim ownership of the original Claude Code source material.
- This repository is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or maintained by Anthropic.