diff --git a/src/agents/sandbox/sandboxes/unix_local.py b/src/agents/sandbox/sandboxes/unix_local.py
index ea7f83e9d8..942f2b528f 100644
--- a/src/agents/sandbox/sandboxes/unix_local.py
+++ b/src/agents/sandbox/sandboxes/unix_local.py
@@ -949,6 +949,17 @@ async def mkdir(
         except OSError as e:
             raise WorkspaceArchiveWriteError(path=normalized, cause=e) from e
 
+    def _raise_if_workspace_root_removal(self, path: Path) -> None:
+        # The validated path is a host realpath here, so also compare against the resolved
+        # root (Manifest.root may be a symlink, and /tmp is one on macOS).
+        root = Path(self.state.manifest.root)
+        if path == root.resolve(strict=False):
+            raise WorkspaceArchiveWriteError(
+                path=path,
+                context={"reason": "workspace_root_removal_refused"},
+            )
+        super()._raise_if_workspace_root_removal(path)
+
     async def rm(
         self,
         path: Path | str,
@@ -960,6 +971,7 @@ async def rm(
             normalized = await self._check_rm_with_exec(path, recursive=recursive, user=user)
         else:
             normalized = self.normalize_path(path, for_write=True)
+        self._raise_if_workspace_root_removal(normalized)
         try:
             if normalized.is_dir() and not normalized.is_symlink():
                 if recursive:
diff --git a/src/agents/sandbox/session/base_sandbox_session.py b/src/agents/sandbox/session/base_sandbox_session.py
index d377bea9ef..ec0df004a3 100644
--- a/src/agents/sandbox/session/base_sandbox_session.py
+++ b/src/agents/sandbox/session/base_sandbox_session.py
@@ -830,6 +830,27 @@ def _workspace_root_path(self) -> Path:
     async def _validate_path_access(self, path: Path | str, *, for_write: bool = False) -> Path:
         return self.normalize_path(path, for_write=for_write)
 
+    def _raise_if_workspace_root_removal(self, path: Path) -> None:
+        """Refuse ``rm`` of the workspace root itself.
+
+        `rm(".")`, `rm("")` or `rm("<root>")` passed path validation and then deleted the
+        whole workspace directory, after which every exec, read and write in the session
+        failed with WorkspaceRootNotFoundError. Removing the root is never what a caller
+        wants from a file operation; clearing the workspace is `rm` of its entries.
+        """
+
+        # Compare POSIX spellings only: the manifest root names a path inside the sandbox,
+        # and resolving it on the SDK host would compare against the wrong filesystem.
+        candidates = {
+            sandbox_path_str(self.state.manifest.root),
+            sandbox_path_str(self._workspace_root_path()),
+        }
+        if sandbox_path_str(path) in candidates:
+            raise WorkspaceArchiveWriteError(
+                path=path,
+                context={"reason": "workspace_root_removal_refused"},
+            )
+
     async def _validate_remote_path_access(
         self,
         path: Path | str,
@@ -1136,6 +1157,7 @@ async def rm(
         :param user: Optional sandbox user to remove as.
         """
         path = await self._validate_path_access(path, for_write=True)
+        self._raise_if_workspace_root_removal(path)
 
         cmd: list[str] = ["rm"]
         if recursive:
diff --git a/tests/sandbox/test_session_utils.py b/tests/sandbox/test_session_utils.py
index d1ddc828ef..04238a78ae 100644
--- a/tests/sandbox/test_session_utils.py
+++ b/tests/sandbox/test_session_utils.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 from agents.sandbox.errors import (
     MountConfigError,
     WorkspaceArchiveReadError,
+    WorkspaceArchiveWriteError,
     WorkspaceReadNotFoundError,
 )
 from agents.sandbox.files import EntryKind, FileEntry
@@ -237,6 +238,27 @@ async def test_check_mkdir_with_exec_runs_non_destructive_probe_as_user() -> Non
     assert session.last_command[-2:] == ("/workspace/nested/dir", "1")
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("root_spelling", [".", "", "/workspace", "/workspace/", "sub/.."])
+async def test_rm_refuses_to_remove_the_workspace_root(root_spelling: str) -> None:
+    session = _CaptureExecSession()
+
+    with pytest.raises(WorkspaceArchiveWriteError) as excinfo:
+        await session.rm(root_spelling, recursive=True)
+
+    assert excinfo.value.context.get("reason") == "workspace_root_removal_refused"
+    assert session.last_command is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_rm_of_a_workspace_entry_still_runs() -> None:
+    session = _CaptureExecSession()
+
+    await session.rm("sub", recursive=True)
+
+    assert session.last_command == ("rm", "-rf", "--", "/workspace/sub")
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_check_rm_with_exec_runs_parent_write_probe_as_user() -> None:
     session = _CaptureExecSession()
diff --git a/tests/sandbox/test_unix_local.py b/tests/sandbox/test_unix_local.py
index fb13be3c51..06d87e713a 100644
--- a/tests/sandbox/test_unix_local.py
+++ b/tests/sandbox/test_unix_local.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 import pytest
 
 from agents.sandbox import SandboxPathGrant
-from agents.sandbox.errors import PtySessionNotFoundError
+from agents.sandbox.errors import PtySessionNotFoundError, WorkspaceArchiveWriteError
 from agents.sandbox.manifest import Environment, Manifest
 from agents.sandbox.sandboxes import unix_local as unix_local_module
 from agents.sandbox.sandboxes.unix_local import (
@@ -470,6 +470,38 @@ async def test_rm_as_user_checks_permissions_then_uses_local_fs(
         assert not any(part.startswith("rm ") for part in session.exec_commands[0])
 
 
+class TestUnixLocalRmWorkspaceRoot:
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("root_spelling", [".", "", "{root}", "{root}/", "sub/.."])
+    async def test_rm_refuses_to_remove_the_workspace_root(
+        self,
+        tmp_path: Path,
+        root_spelling: str,
+    ) -> None:
+        workspace = tmp_path / "workspace"
+        (workspace / "sub").mkdir(parents=True)
+        (workspace / "sub" / "keep.txt").write_text("keep", encoding="utf-8")
+        session = _RecordingUnixLocalSession(workspace)
+
+        with pytest.raises(WorkspaceArchiveWriteError) as excinfo:
+            await session.rm(root_spelling.format(root=workspace), recursive=True)
+
+        assert excinfo.value.context.get("reason") == "workspace_root_removal_refused"
+        assert (workspace / "sub" / "keep.txt").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "keep"
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_rm_of_a_workspace_entry_still_removes_it(self, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        workspace = tmp_path / "workspace"
+        (workspace / "sub").mkdir(parents=True)
+        (workspace / "sub" / "old.txt").write_text("old", encoding="utf-8")
+        session = _RecordingUnixLocalSession(workspace)
+
+        await session.rm("sub", recursive=True)
+
+        assert workspace.is_dir()
+        assert not (workspace / "sub").exists()
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_hydrate_workspace_cancellation_waits_for_the_extracting_worker(
     tmp_path: Path,