Reject symbolic links in memory workspaces (#39205)

## What changed

- Reject a symbolic link used as the memory root.
- Recursively remove symbolic links before preparing or seeding the memory workspace.
- Remove and reject symbolic links created during consolidation, including when the worker fails, so they cannot affect files outside the workspace.

## Testing

Add Unix startup tests covering pre-existing extension links and links created by both successful and failed consolidation workers.

GitOrigin-RevId: f96e03812773f7beaa16455dd77370ee47d8a71f

codex-rs/memories/write/src/lib.rs

@@ -130,5 +130,18 @@ pub fn raw_memories_file(root: &Path) -> PathBuf {
 }
 
 pub async fn ensure_layout(root: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    tokio::fs::create_dir_all(root).await?;
+    if tokio::fs::symlink_metadata(root)
+        .await?
+        .file_type()
+        .is_symlink()
+    {
+        return Err(std::io::Error::new(
+            std::io::ErrorKind::InvalidInput,
+            format!("memory root cannot be a symbolic link: {}", root.display()),
+        ));
+    }
+
+    workspace::remove_memory_symlinks(root).await?;
     tokio::fs::create_dir_all(rollout_summaries_dir(root)).await
 }

codex-rs/memories/write/src/phase2.rs

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ use crate::runtime::SpawnedConsolidationAgent;
 use crate::sync_rollout_summaries_from_memories;
 use crate::workspace::memory_workspace_diff;
 use crate::workspace::prepare_memory_workspace;
+use crate::workspace::remove_memory_symlinks;
 use crate::workspace::reset_memory_workspace_baseline;
 use crate::workspace::validate_consolidation_artifacts;
 use crate::workspace::write_workspace_diff;
@@ -478,6 +479,9 @@ mod agent {
                     }
                 }
             } else if !agent_completed {
+                if let Err(err) = remove_memory_symlinks(&memory_root).await {
+                    tracing::error!("failed removing memory workspace symbolic links: {err}");
+                }
                 job::failed(context.as_ref(), &db, &claim, "failed_agent").await;
             }
         });

codex-rs/memories/write/src/start.rs

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use crate::ensure_layout;
 use crate::extensions::seed_extension_instructions;
 use crate::guard;
 use crate::memory_root;
@@ -52,8 +53,8 @@ pub fn start_memories_startup_task(
 
     tokio::spawn(async move {
         let root = memory_root(&config.codex_home);
-        if let Err(err) = tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&root).await {
+        if let Err(err) = ensure_layout(&root).await {
-            warn!("failed creating memories root: {err}");
+            warn!("failed preparing memories root: {err}");
             return;
         }
         if let Err(err) = seed_extension_instructions(&root).await {

codex-rs/memories/write/src/startup_tests.rs

@@ -37,7 +37,11 @@ use core_test_support::responses::ev_assistant_message;
 use core_test_support::responses::ev_completed;
 use core_test_support::responses::ev_response_created;
 use core_test_support::responses::mount_sse_once;
+#[cfg(unix)]
+use core_test_support::responses::mount_sse_once_match;
 use core_test_support::responses::sse;
+#[cfg(unix)]
+use core_test_support::responses::sse_failed;
 use core_test_support::responses::start_mock_server;
 use core_test_support::test_codex::TestCodex;
 use core_test_support::test_codex::test_codex;
@@ -65,6 +69,110 @@ async fn memories_startup_creates_memory_root() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+#[cfg(unix)]
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn memories_startup_removes_symlinked_extensions_before_seeding() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let server = start_mock_server().await;
+    let home = Arc::new(TempDir::new()?);
+    let memory_root = home.path().join("memories");
+    let outside = home.path().join("outside");
+    tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&memory_root).await?;
+    tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&outside).await?;
+    std::os::unix::fs::symlink(&outside, memory_root.join("extensions"))?;
+
+    let test = build_test_codex(&server, home).await?;
+    trigger_memories_startup(&test).await;
+    wait_for_dir(&memory_root.join("extensions/ad_hoc")).await?;
+
+    assert!(
+        tokio::fs::symlink_metadata(memory_root.join("extensions"))
+            .await?
+            .is_dir()
+    );
+    assert!(
+        !outside.join("ad_hoc").exists(),
+        "extension seeding must not create directories through the removed symbolic link"
+    );
+
+    shutdown_test_codex(&test).await?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+#[cfg(unix)]
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn memories_startup_fails_consolidation_when_worker_creates_extension_symlink()
+-> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let responses = [
+        sse(vec![
+            ev_response_created("resp-phase2-complete"),
+            ev_assistant_message("msg-phase2-complete", "phase2 complete"),
+            ev_completed("resp-phase2-complete"),
+        ]),
+        sse_failed("resp-phase2-failed", "server_error", "worker failed"),
+    ];
+
+    for response in responses {
+        let server = start_mock_server().await;
+        let home = Arc::new(TempDir::new()?);
+        let db = init_state_db(&home).await?;
+        let root = home.path().join("memories");
+        seed_stage1_output(
+            db.as_ref(),
+            home.path(),
+            chrono::Utc::now(),
+            "raw memory",
+            "rollout summary",
+            "worker-symlink",
+        )
+        .await?;
+        seed_required_memory_artifacts(&root).await?;
+        reset_git_repository(&root).await?;
+
+        let target = home.path().join("outside.md");
+        tokio::fs::write(&target, "outside content").await?;
+        let link = root.join("extensions/external_agent_import/instructions.md");
+        let worker_target = target.clone();
+        let worker_link = link.clone();
+        let phase2 = mount_sse_once_match(
+            &server,
+            move |_request: &wiremock::Request| {
+                std::fs::create_dir_all(worker_link.parent().expect("extension directory"))
+                    .expect("create extension directory");
+                std::os::unix::fs::symlink(&worker_target, &worker_link)
+                    .expect("create worker symbolic link");
+                true
+            },
+            response,
+        )
+        .await;
+        let test = build_test_codex(&server, home).await?;
+
+        trigger_memories_startup(&test).await;
+        wait_for_single_request(&phase2).await;
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            wait_for_phase2_job_to_finish(db.as_ref()).await?,
+            Phase2JobClaimOutcome::SkippedRetryUnavailable
+        );
+        assert_eq!(tokio::fs::read_to_string(&target).await?, "outside content");
+        assert_eq!(
+            tokio::fs::symlink_metadata(&link)
+                .await
+                .expect_err("worker-created symbolic link should be removed")
+                .kind(),
+            std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound
+        );
+        assert!(
+            root.join("phase2_workspace_diff.md").exists(),
+            "a rejected consolidation result must not reset the trusted baseline"
+        );
+
+        shutdown_test_codex(&test).await?;
+    }
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn memories_startup_phase2_tracks_workspace_diff_across_runs() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let server = start_mock_server().await;

codex-rs/memories/write/src/workspace.rs

@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ use codex_git_utils::GitBaselineDiff;
 use codex_git_utils::diff_since_latest_init;
 use codex_git_utils::ensure_git_baseline_repository;
 use codex_git_utils::reset_git_repository;
+#[cfg(windows)]
+use std::os::windows::fs::FileTypeExt;
 use std::path::Path;
 
 /// Prepares the memory directory for git-baseline diffing.
@@ -11,9 +13,9 @@ use std::path::Path;
 /// metadata is missing or unusable, and removes any stale generated `phase2_workspace_diff.md` file
 /// so that the next diff does not include a previous prompt artifact.
 pub async fn prepare_memory_workspace(root: &Path) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-    tokio::fs::create_dir_all(root)
+    crate::ensure_layout(root)
         .await
-        .with_context(|| format!("create memory workspace {}", root.display()))?;
+        .with_context(|| format!("prepare memory workspace {}", root.display()))?;
     remove_workspace_diff(root).await?;
     ensure_git_baseline_repository(root).await?;
     Ok(())
@@ -47,6 +49,12 @@ pub async fn reset_memory_workspace_baseline(root: &Path) -> anyhow::Result<()>
 
 /// Verifies that a completed consolidation run left the required memory artifacts in place.
 pub async fn validate_consolidation_artifacts(root: &Path) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let removed_symlinks = remove_memory_symlinks(root).await?;
+    anyhow::ensure!(
+        removed_symlinks == 0,
+        "removed {removed_symlinks} symbolic links from consolidated memory workspace"
+    );
+
     let memory_path = root.join("MEMORY.md");
     let memory_metadata = tokio::fs::metadata(&memory_path).await.with_context(|| {
         format!(
@@ -73,6 +81,39 @@ pub async fn validate_consolidation_artifacts(root: &Path) -> anyhow::Result<()>
     Ok(())
 }
 
+pub(crate) async fn remove_memory_symlinks(root: &Path) -> std::io::Result<usize> {
+    let mut directories = vec![root.to_path_buf()];
+    let mut removed = 0;
+
+    while let Some(directory) = directories.pop() {
+        let mut entries = tokio::fs::read_dir(directory).await?;
+        while let Some(entry) = entries.next_entry().await? {
+            let path = entry.path();
+            let file_type = entry.file_type().await?;
+            if file_type.is_symlink() {
+                #[cfg(windows)]
+                if file_type.is_symlink_dir() {
+                    tokio::fs::remove_dir(&path).await?;
+                } else {
+                    tokio::fs::remove_file(&path).await?;
+                }
+                #[cfg(not(windows))]
+                tokio::fs::remove_file(&path).await?;
+
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    "removed symbolic link from memory workspace: {}",
+                    path.display()
+                );
+                removed += 1;
+            } else if file_type.is_dir() {
+                directories.push(path);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(removed)
+}
+
 /// Removes the generated `phase2_workspace_diff.md` prompt artifact.
 ///
 /// This does not remove `.git/`, reset the baseline, or delete memory content. It is used before