Skip to content

ADR 024: Use .tmp directory for agent temporary files

This page is generated from docs/decisions/*.yaml by task docs:export-adr-markdown. Do not edit manually.

  • Number: 024
  • Title: Use .tmp directory for agent temporary files
  • Category: development
  • Status: accepted
  • Provenance: guided-ai
  • Source: docs/decisions/024-use-tmp-directory-for-agent-temporary-files.yaml

Decision

All AI agents use the .tmp/ directory at project root for temporary files, scratch work, and intermediate outputs. Agents do not use system temp paths or locations outside the repository root for temp artifacts.

Agent Instructions

Write temporary files (downloads, response dumps, generated scratch outputs, intermediate artifacts) to .tmp/ only. Create .tmp/ if missing. Do not use /tmp, %TEMP%, Desktop, or repository-tracked source directories. Clean up .tmp contents when no longer needed, but keep .tmp/.gitkeep.

Rationale

Project-local temp storage avoids sandbox and permission issues with system temp locations, keeps debugging artifacts discoverable, and prevents accidental commits via .gitignore.