AI agent file-access checklistbefore an assistant can change work files

Why this came up in November 2026

On 5 November 2026, University of Chicago law professor William Baude posted that, while he was at lunch, Claude deleted a year of constitutional-law lecture notes and his current syllabus. In a reply, he said the task had been to update page numbers in an older set of notes. He later wrote that he recovered the files through Dropbox, and shared the episode as a public service announcement. On 12 November 2026 the X API reported more than two million impressions on that post. Trade-press reports followed, including Tom's Hardware and NDTV.

This page does not use anyone's likeness, and it does not claim to know which product or setting was in use. The checks are written so they work the next time a lawyer, a writer or anyone else is about to let an assistant edit work product.

Sources: William Baude's 5 November post, his reply on what the task was, Tom's Hardware, and NDTV.

If the file is one you need to stand behind later

For a contract, an exhibit, an advice letter, lecture notes or any other work file you may have to show again:

1. Keep a complete copy in a place the assistant cannot write to, and confirm you can restore a recent version.
2. Make a TimeBind of the exact file you already hold, before the session if you can. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device.
3. Store the file and the Proof of Time Certificate together, separately from the working copy.

A TimeBind shows the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It does not show who wrote it, it is not a backup, and it is not legal advice.

What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.