# Protected Paths and File Allowlists — Safe Autonomous Code Fixing

Source: https://www.skillbyai.com/en/safe-autonomous-code-fixing/g-protected

> Some files are never in scope.

## Deny by path

Define paths an automated fixer may never modify: CI workflows, infrastructure code, database migrations, lock files, secrets and configuration, tests, and security-sensitive modules. Enforce it in the pipeline (reject patches touching them) and in repository settings (CODEOWNERS requiring specific reviewers, branch protection). An **allowlist** of directories the fixer may edit is even stronger for narrow use cases.

## A protected-path gate, run

I ran this with Python 3 (standard library) and, where it uses git, real git in a throwaway temporary repository. Candidate patches are written by hand to stand in for model output. A patch touching only src/pricing.py is allowed. Patches that also touch tests, a CI workflow or poetry.lock are blocked, and the offending file is named.

```python
from fnmatch import fnmatch
PROTECTED = [".github/workflows/*", "migrations/*", "*.lock", "infra/*", "secrets/*", "tests/*"]
def gate(files):
    hits = [f for f in files if any(fnmatch(f, p) for p in PROTECTED)]
    return ("BLOCK", hits) if hits else ("ALLOW", [])
for files in [["src/pricing.py"],
              ["src/pricing.py", "tests/test_pricing.py"],
              ["src/pricing.py", ".github/workflows/ci.yml"],
              ["poetry.lock", "src/db.py"]]:
    print(files, "->", *gate(files))
```

Output:

```
['src/pricing.py'] -> ALLOW []
['src/pricing.py', 'tests/test_pricing.py'] -> BLOCK ['tests/test_pricing.py']
['src/pricing.py', '.github/workflows/ci.yml'] -> BLOCK ['.github/workflows/ci.yml']
['poetry.lock', 'src/db.py'] -> BLOCK ['poetry.lock']
```

## Back it with CODEOWNERS

Require named owners to approve changes to sensitive paths, so even a pipeline bug cannot slip them through.

**Quiz:** Why protect CI workflow files from automated fixes?

- [x] Editing CI can disable the very checks that verify the fix
- [ ] They are too small to edit
- [ ] Git cannot track them
- [ ] They contain only comments

*Answer:* Editing CI can disable the very checks that verify the fix. The fixer must not change its own judge.