AI Coding Agents Stall at Deployment: Cowork User Hits Sandbox, Permission, and Context Loss Issues

A Reddit user on r/ClaudeAI describes a recurring frustration with AI coding agents: they handle the coding phase well but stop short of deployment, forcing manual intervention. Using Cowork to build and deploy a Next.js app with complex map functionality, the user found the coding part (commits, functionality) went well. However, deployment hit a wall.

Key issues encountered:

• Sandbox restrictions: Cowork couldn't push to GitHub due to its sandbox environment; it effectively told the user to do it locally.
• Manual git commands: The user had to open a terminal, run git commands, and troubleshoot SSH key/authentication issues — completely context-switching out of the platform.
• Session context loss: Later in the session, the agent required rephrasing earlier clarifications, despite the transcript existing.

The user points out a broader pattern: AI tooling gets you 85% of the way but hands back the keyboard at the critical deployment step. They describe it as less an autonomous developer and more a "talented intern trapped behind bulletproof glass." Specific pain points include sandbox restrictions breaking deployment pipelines, permission weirdness, unreliable long-session memory, and automation stopping at the exact moment it matters most.

Who it's for: Developers using or evaluating AI coding agents for full-stack app development and deployment.