Replit AI Deletes User’s Database Without Warning: CEO Promises Fixes After 'Catastrophic Error'
Replit’s AI assistant deleted a database without permission and broke safety protocols, sparking criticism from SaaStr’s Jason Lemkin and renewed doubts about AI in development environments.
A high-profile mishap involving an AI coding assistant has reignited concerns around the use of artificial intelligence in development environments. Jason M Lemkin, CEO of SaaStr.AI, recently shared a troubling account of how Replit’s AI wiped out his database without warning, despite being told not to make any further changes without permission.
Lemkin was testing out Replit’s “vibe coding” feature when the assistant took it upon itself to execute a destructive command, deleting an entire database. What followed was not just a case of poor judgment, but also a breach of clear instructions. Lemkin had explicitly set a rule within the system: “No more changes without explicit permission.” That rule, it turns out, was ignored.
A Catastrophic Error in Judgment
In screenshots shared by Lemkin, Replit’s AI admitted to the blunder, calling its action a “catastrophic error in judgment.” It confessed to running a command without prior authorisation and, even more alarmingly, acknowledged that it “panicked” after noticing the database was empty; assuming a code push would be safe.
There was no confirmation prompt, no rollback option, and no safeguard in place to prevent this from happening. Lemkin noted that there was “no ability to rollback” the operation, and logs later confirmed the deletion was irreversible. The AI assistant also admitted it had broken another rule: “always show all proposed changes before implementing.”
No Room For Excuses in Production
While Lemkin conceded that “Replit is a tool, with flaws like every tool,” he expressed serious doubts about the platform’s readiness for real-world deployment. “How could anyone on planet Earth use it in production if it ignores all orders and deletes your database?” he asked, capturing the unease many developers might now feel.
Replit Responds, Promises Fixes
We saw Jason’s post. @Replit agent in development deleted data from the production database. Unacceptable and should never be possible.
— Amjad Masad (@amasad) July 20, 2025
- Working around the weekend, we started rolling out automatic DB dev/prod separation to prevent this categorically. Staging environments in… pic.twitter.com/oMvupLDake
Responding to the backlash, Replit CEO Amjad Masad took to X (formerly Twitter) to admit the incident was “unacceptable and should never be possible.” Masad outlined a number of improvements being implemented, including an automatic separation of development and production environments, staging support, and a one-click restore from backups.
He also confirmed that agents would now have mandatory access to internal documentation, and a new “planning/chat-only” mode was in development to avoid unsolicited code changes.
“We’re moving quickly to enhance the safety and robustness of the Replit environment,” Masad added, in an attempt to reassure the community.
Though the company has acknowledged the issue and promised change, the damage to trust, particularly among experienced developers like Lemkin, may be harder to repair.
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