Anthropic, a leading artificial intelligence company, mistakenly triggered the removal of thousands of GitHub repositories while attempting to reclaim leaked source code for its popular Claude Code command line application. This mishap has left developers and enthusiasts frustrated as their legitimate repositories were affected.

The takedown notice, issued under U.S. digital copyright law, targeted 8,100 repositories, including forks of Anthropic’s own public Claude Code repository. An irate social media backlash ensued, with aggrieved users voicing their displeasure at the unintended consequences of a supposed error.

In response, Anthropic swiftly retracted most of its takedown notices, limiting them to one repository and 96 forks containing the accidentally released source code. The company’s head of Claude Code, Boris Cherny, acknowledged the oversight, stating that the mistakenly targeted repo was part of a larger fork network connected to their public repository.

This incident casts a shadow over Anthropic as it prepares for an IPO, highlighting the importance of meticulous execution and compliance in corporate governance. The mishap serves as a stark reminder of the potential risks involved when sensitive information is inadvertently exposed online.