Evidence record EV-0037

Destructive and bulk commands that report success but do nothing

Users of Cloudflare's cf beta report commands that exit 0 without doing the work: R2 deletes of keys containing '/' (a cleanup script reported 2,220 objects deleted that were all still present) and a secrets bulk update that deployed an empty change to 100%.

Independent measurement · Observation · Retrieved

Evidence class: Independent measurement. Often a single report on one version. Software changes, so check again before you rely on it. Pattern tags: exit-codes, false-success.

Effect, as the source reports it

  • Objects actually deleted when a script reported success. Baseline: Reported: 2,220 objects deleted, zero errors. With the change: Re-listing: all 2,220 objects still in the bucket. Direction: not-applicable. Size: 0 of 2,220 deleted; exit status 0. Sample: One user report with root cause (slashes percent-encoded in the key path).
  • Effect of a secrets bulk update with an unparsable or unwrapped body. With the change: A new Worker version and a 100% deployment with zero binding changes and no error. Direction: not-applicable. Size: Silent no-op deployed to 100%. Sample: One user report.

Agent profile

  • Note on models: Not an agent run: CLI behaviour reported by users.

Conflicts of interest

None apparent. Both issues were filed by users, not by Cloudflare.

Source

cloudflare/cf#209: r2 objects delete and bulk-delete exit 0 without deleting keys that contain '/', GitHub, eduMNG, 5 October 2026. Retrieved ; verification: verified-live.

The full primary source was fetched on 2026-10-08 and every number in this record was found in it. Both issues were open on the retrieval date.

Corroborating sources:

Limitations

  • Beta software; individual user reports, not a survey of the CLI.

For designers

Before reporting success, check that a write took effect: inspect the response, and read back when the API treats a missing target as success. Exit 0 should mean the work was done.

Cite this record

Cite the original source for any number, and keep the evidence class and model set with the figure. To point at this record, use "AX evidence register, EV-0037" and this page's address, https://agentexperience.tech/evidence/ev-0037/. The record is also in /evidence.json. The register's licence will be confirmed before its source repository is published.