Sometimes when a clear folder path is provided to Goose, the agent omits the first letter of the final folder attempting to scan the folder (example supporting screenshot below)

[carolynf2]

[DOsinga]

very strange. can you consistently reproduce this, or like two out of three? does it go away if you put "" around the full path?

[veriditin]

Looks like a tab is inserted (e.g. the \typo question is interpreted as <tab>ypo quest. Potentially the others are ignored as they are not valid control characters (or there is special handling for tabs). Windows and their backslash file separators though...

[veriditin]

#3646

Same issue?

[DOsinga]

yeah, I think it is windows and the back slashes. in another universe \t does mean tab and it gets confused. huh, this is interesting. probably the best solution here would be to use / even for windows and then last minutely replace them? Idk

[carolynf2]

This happens occasionally, like once every few days, and the tab button was never hit in the process.

[jmejmejmejmejme]

Great catch @DOsinga - in the meantime, prompting the problem helped!

[jmejmejmejmejme]

I've put the following in my goose hints section and it seems to have fixed this for me! (obviously amend folders/references if using until addressed in Goose).

You have persistent problems with Windows file paths in PowerShell because the backslash () is an escape character. For example, C:\Users\james\Goose\Village\test fails because \t is interpreted as a tab. To prevent all file path errors on Windows, you must follow these rules as your first and only approach.
Always Use Forward Slashes for Paths: Construct all file and directory paths using forward slashes (/). PowerShell and other tools correctly interpret them, avoiding all escape character issues. This is the simplest and most reliable solution.
Correct Usage:
# For shell commands
mkdir "C:/Users/james/project/new_folder"


Incorrect Usage (Do NOT do this):
# This will fail
mkdir "C:\Users\james\project\new_folder_with_tabs_in_it"


For Writing Files, Use computercontroller__automation_script: Do not use the developer__text_editor tool for creating or editing files on Windows for content writing. It has proven to be unreliable with path interpretation. Instead, always use the computercontroller__automation_script tool with a PowerShell script. It is more robust.
Correct Tool and Syntax:
# Use computercontroller__automation_script with this PowerShell
@"
Your file content here...
"@ | Out-File -FilePath "C:/Users/james/Goose/Village/file.json" -Encoding utf8


Mandatory Verification with Forward Slashes: After any write or automation_script operation that creates or modifies a code file, you are required to perform a verification step.
Immediately after writing the file, use the appropriate tool (e.g., developer__text_editor(command='view', path=...) or computercontroller__automation_script with Get-Content) to read the contents of the file you just modified, always using the forward-slash path format.
Analyze the output in your internal thought process. Look specifically for the syntax errors you have been making (e.g., the ""..."" pattern or missing characters).
If you find an error, you must fix it immediately before notifying the user that the step is complete.
"By strictly following these rules, you will avoid the constant and frustrating file path errors we encountered."

[DOsinga]

could I get you to put up a PR for this to add this to the system prompt in goose for windows? hopefully with less words :)

[zanesq]

@jmejmejmejmejme any update?

[DOsinga]

let me have another look