Claude Code may reject a request to write to /tmp because its documented file-write boundary is the directory where Claude Code was started and that directory’s subdirectories. If Claude Code starts in a project folder, /tmp is usually outside that tree. That is one possible cause—not proof that non-interactive mode blocks writes. Tool-permission rules and operating-system or container restrictions can also affect the result.
Why can Claude Code not write to /tmp?
Anthropic’s security documentation says Claude Code can write only within its starting directory and its subdirectories. So if a job starts Claude Code in a project directory and asks it to write to /tmp/example.txt, the requested path is normally outside that documented boundary. This is an inference from the stated boundary and the paths involved; it does not establish that every Claude Code version, operating system, or launch configuration rejects every /tmp write. Anthropic: Claude Code security
There may be more than one layer involved. Claude Code’s tool-permission settings can allow or deny tool use, its documented write boundary governs where it can write, and an operating-system, container, CI runner, or mounted-filesystem policy may impose additional restrictions. The official documentation does not diagnose a particular machine from the symptom alone.
Does Claude Code -p mode disable file writes?
No such universal rule is established by the CLI documentation. The -p option runs Claude Code in non-interactive print mode; the CLI also documents --allowedTools, --disallowedTools, and --permission-prompt-tool for tool and permission handling. Anthropic describes the latter as a way to specify an MCP tool to handle permission prompts in non-interactive mode. These options do not mean that -p automatically permits every write or disables all writing. Anthropic: CLI reference
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Anthropic also notes that trust verification is disabled in -p mode. That is a separate security detail; it is not documentation that every file-write restriction is removed. Avoid treating -p alone as the explanation until you have checked the path, tool permissions, and environment.
How to troubleshoot a failed write
- Capture the exact invocation. Record the command used to launch Claude Code, including whether it uses
claude -p, permission flags, a wrapper, or an SDK. The CLI reference describes the available flags and permission-prompt option: Anthropic: CLI reference. - Check the working directory in the same environment. Print or inspect the process’s current directory inside the same job, container, or CI runner that launches Claude Code. A local terminal’s directory may differ from the directory used by automation.
- Compare the starting directory with the target. If the process starts in a project folder and the requested destination is
/tmp/..., that destination is usually outside the starting directory and its descendants. Anthropic’s stated write boundary makes this a plausible cause, not a guaranteed diagnosis. Anthropic: Claude Code security - Review tool-permission configuration. Check project-level, user-level, and managed settings for allow or deny rules, and determine whether non-interactive permission prompts are handled by a configured tool. The CLI reference lists the relevant command-line controls: Anthropic: CLI reference.
- Check external restrictions. Review the host operating system, container or CI configuration, and mounted filesystem policy. These controls are environment-specific; do not attribute a denial to them without checking the actual setup or error.
- Collect version and diagnostic details. Record the Claude Code version, operating system, launch directory, complete command, relevant configuration, and full error text. Anthropic’s setup guide recommends
claude doctorfor checking installation type and version and points readers to permission-error configuration guidance. Anthropic: setup guide
How to allow a write outside the project safely
First identify which control rejected the operation. The available documentation describes tool permissions and the starting-directory write boundary, but does not provide enough information to prescribe one universal setting for every release and environment. Follow the permission-error configuration guidance linked from Anthropic’s setup documentation for the installed version, and use only the narrow permission change needed for the task.
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The CLI reference includes --dangerously-skip-permissions, but its name and documented caution are reasons not to use it as a routine workaround. A broad bypass can change the security posture of the run; it does not establish that an operating-system or container restriction has been resolved. Prefer understanding the specific denial and applying a narrowly scoped configuration change where supported.
Why might it work interactively but fail in CI?
Interactive and automated runs may differ in their launch directory, command-line options, permission-prompt handling, configuration, and host or container policies. A CI job may start Claude Code from a different path than a developer’s terminal, or apply filesystem restrictions that are not present locally. Those are possible explanations to verify, not a diagnosis implied by the difference alone. Compare the exact invocation, working directory, version, settings, environment, and full error from both runs.
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