[Bug]: Automaker creates reserved filename "nul" on Windows, blocking Git and OneDrive sync

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Operating System

Windows

Run Mode

Electron (Desktop App)

App Version

0.13 and earlier

Bug Description

Automaker creates reserved filename "nul" on Windows, blocking Git and OneDrive sync

Summary

Automaker creates a file literally named nul during operation. On Windows, NUL is a reserved device name, which causes Git operations to fail. File is located in below the root project directory.

Environment

• OS: Windows 11
• Automaker Version: 0.13
• Git Version: git version 2.49.0.windows.1

Steps to Reproduce

1. Run Automaker on a Windows system
2. Let Automaker process features/events
3. Attempt to stage files with git add -A -- .

Expected Behavior

Automaker should not create files with Windows reserved device names (NUL, CON, AUX, COM1-9, LPT1-9, PRN).

Actual Behavior

A file named nul is created, causing:

1. Git failure during git add:

   error: short read while indexing nul
   error: nul: failed to insert into database
   error: unable to index file 'nul'
   fatal: adding files failed
   

Suggested Fix

Before creating any file, validate the filename against Windows reserved names:

const WINDOWS_RESERVED_NAMES = /^(con|prn|aux|nul|com[1-9]|lpt[1-9])(\.|$)/i;

function isValidFilename(filename) {
  return !WINDOWS_RESERVED_NAMES.test(filename);
}

Alternatively, if a nul output is intentional (e.g., discarding output), use a cross-platform approach or a different naming convention on Windows.

Workaround

Users can manually remove the file using Git Bash or WSL:

rm ./nul

Additional Context

This issue affects any Windows user whose repository is:

• Under Git version control
• Synchronized via OneDrive, Dropbox, or similar cloud services
• Part of a CI/CD pipeline running on Windows
• OneDrive sync is also effected

References

• [Microsoft: Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/fileio/naming-a-file#naming-conventions)
• [Git Issue Tracker - Reserved filenames on Windows](https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/issues)

Steps to Reproduce

see in description

Expected Behavior

see in description

Actual Behavior

see in description

Screenshots

No response

Relevant Logs

Additional Context

No response

Checklist

• I have searched existing issues to ensure this bug hasn't been reported already
• I have provided all required information above

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See nul file in vscode

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I also found the NUL or nul file in other directories like the project root