fallbac to homedir instead of /tmp

Author: whoiskatrin

packages/sandbox-container/src/session.ts

@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ export interface SessionOptions {
    *
    * Note: This only affects where the shell starts. Individual commands can
    * specify their own cwd via exec options, and the shell can cd anywhere.
-   * If the directory doesn't exist, the session falls back to /tmp.
+   * If the specified directory doesn't exist when the session initializes,
+   * the session will fall back to the home directory.
    */
   cwd?: string;
 
@@ -143,22 +144,22 @@ export class Session {
     this.sessionDir = join(tmpdir(), `session-${this.id}-${Date.now()}`);
     await mkdir(this.sessionDir, { recursive: true });
 
-    // Determine working directory. If the requested
-    // cwd doesn't exist, we fall back to /tmp since it's always available and
-    // safer than / for accidental operations.
+    // Determine working directory. If the requested cwd doesn't exist, we fall
+    // back to the home directory since it's a natural default for shell sessions.
+    const homeDir = process.env.HOME || '/root';
     let cwd = this.options.cwd || CONFIG.DEFAULT_CWD;
     try {
       await stat(cwd);
     } catch {
       this.logger.debug(
-        `Shell startup directory '${cwd}' does not exist, using '/tmp'`,
+        `Shell startup directory '${cwd}' does not exist, using '${homeDir}'`,
         {
           sessionId: this.id,
           requestedCwd: cwd,
-          actualCwd: '/tmp'
+          actualCwd: homeDir
         }
       );
-      cwd = '/tmp';
+      cwd = homeDir;
     }
 
     // Spawn persistent bash with stdin pipe - no IPC or wrapper needed!

tests/e2e/workspace-deletion-workflow.test.ts

@@ -339,7 +339,8 @@ describe('Workspace Deletion Workflow (Issue #288)', () => {
    * Test 6: New session can be created when /workspace doesn't exist
    *
    * This tests the core fix for issue #288: when a new session is created
-   * and /workspace doesn't exist, it should fall back to / instead of failing.
+   * and /workspace doesn't exist, it should fall back to the home directory
+   * instead of failing.
    *
    * Note: This test uses a different sandbox ID to ensure a completely new
    * session is created (not reusing an existing one).
@@ -377,7 +378,8 @@ describe('Workspace Deletion Workflow (Issue #288)', () => {
    * This is the PRIMARY test for issue #288. The bug was that creating a NEW session
    * after /workspace was deleted would fail with "Unknown Error, TODO".
    *
-   * The fix makes session initialization fall back to "/" if /workspace doesn't exist.
+   * The fix makes session initialization fall back to the home directory if
+   * /workspace doesn't exist.
    *
    * IMPORTANT: This test actually deletes /workspace and creates a new session.
    * It restores /workspace at the end to avoid breaking other tests.
@@ -450,7 +452,7 @@ describe('Workspace Deletion Workflow (Issue #288)', () => {
     );
     expect(newSessionData.stderr?.toLowerCase() || '').not.toContain('todo');
 
-    // Step 5: Verify the new session fell back to "/" as working directory
+    // Step 5: Verify the new session fell back to home directory
     const pwdResponse = await fetch(`${workerUrl}/api/execute`, {
       method: 'POST',
       headers: newHeaders,
@@ -461,8 +463,8 @@ describe('Workspace Deletion Workflow (Issue #288)', () => {
     expect(pwdResponse.status).toBe(200);
     const pwdData = (await pwdResponse.json()) as ExecResult;
     expect(pwdData.success).toBe(true);
-    // Session should have fallen back to / since /workspace didn't exist
-    expect(pwdData.stdout?.trim()).toBe('/');
+    // Session should have fallen back to /root since /workspace didn't exist
+    expect(pwdData.stdout?.trim()).toBe('/root');
 
     // Step 6: Restore /workspace for other tests
     const restoreResponse = await fetch(`${workerUrl}/api/execute`, {