Bug: Concurrent JSON Writes Can Corrupt command_history.json and Workspace State Files

[charu2210]

Description

The application performs direct JSON writes to state/history files without atomic write protection or file locking.

Affected areas include:

• save_command_history()
• save_workspace_state()
• workspace profile saves

Current implementation writes directly using:

with open(path, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
    json.dump(data, f)

Because the application uses threaded execution flows and supports multiple simultaneous actions, concurrent writes can corrupt JSON files.

Possible Impact

• command_history.json becomes malformed/truncated
• workspace state resets unexpectedly
• profile JSON files become unreadable
• silent data loss after concurrent actions
• inconsistent UI state after reload

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open multiple terminals/tabs
2. Execute commands rapidly in parallel
3. Simultaneously clear command history or save workspace state
4. Interrupt execution during write operations
5. Restart/reload application

Observed Behavior

Under concurrent write conditions, JSON state files may become partially written, truncated, or malformed. On reload, the application may fail to restore history/workspace state correctly and can fall back to empty defaults.

Suggested Fix

• Use atomic file writes via temporary files + os.replace()
• Add threading/file locks around write operations
• Validate JSON integrity before replacing original files
• Add recovery handling for partially written state files

Expected Outcome

State/history files remain consistent and recoverable even under concurrent operations or interrupted writes.

[charu2210]

/assign
Hi @siddu-k, I would like to work on this issue under GSSoC’26.

[siddu-k]

@charu2210 assigned