---
draft: false
title: Permissions
description: Permissions in AgentsMesh define allow and deny lists for tool operations. Natively supported in Claude Code and partially in Cursor and Gemini CLI.
---

import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';

Permissions control which tools and operations AI agents are allowed or denied. They live in `.agentsmesh/permissions.yaml`.

## File format

```yaml
allow:
  - Read
  - Grep
  - Glob
  - Bash(pnpm test:*)
  - Bash(pnpm build:*)
  - Bash(git add:*)
  - Bash(git commit:*)
  - Bash(git status)
  - Bash(git diff)
  - Edit
  - Write

deny:
  - WebFetch
  - Bash(curl:*)
  - Bash(wget:*)
  - Bash(rm -rf:*)
  - Read(.env)
  - Read(.env.*)

ask:
  - Bash(git push:*)
  - Bash(npm publish:*)
```

Three lists are supported: `allow` (run without prompting), `deny` (always blocked), and `ask` (prompt the user before running, where the tool supports it).

## Pattern syntax

Patterns support wildcards using `:*` suffix for Bash commands:

| Pattern | Matches |
|---------|---------|
| `Read` | The Read tool (any file) |
| `Read(.env)` | Read of `.env` specifically |
| `Bash(pnpm test:*)` | Any `pnpm test:...` subcommand |
| `Bash(git:*)` | Any git command |
| `Bash(rm -rf:*)` | Any `rm -rf ...` command |
| `WebFetch` | All web fetch operations |

<Aside type="caution">
  `deny` rules take precedence over `allow` rules. If a pattern appears in both, it is denied.
</Aside>

## Tool-specific behavior

See the **Permissions** row in the [supported tools matrix](../../reference/supported-tools/) for per-target support levels (native, partial, or unsupported).

## Locking permissions from accidental changes

Permissions often represent security boundaries. Use `collaboration.lock_features` to prevent them from being overwritten:

```yaml
# agentsmesh.yaml
collaboration:
  strategy: merge
  lock_features:
    - permissions
    - mcp
```

With `permissions` locked, `agentsmesh generate` will not regenerate the permissions config without `--force`.

## Recommended baseline

```yaml
allow:
  - Read
  - Grep
  - Glob
  - Edit
  - Write
  - Bash(git status)
  - Bash(git diff)
  - Bash(git add:*)
  - Bash(git commit:*)
  - Bash(git log:*)
  - Bash(pnpm install:*)
  - Bash(pnpm build:*)
  - Bash(pnpm test:*)
  - Bash(pnpm lint:*)
  - Bash(pnpm typecheck:*)

deny:
  - Bash(rm -rf:*)
  - Bash(curl:*)
  - Bash(wget:*)
  - Bash(ssh:*)
  - Bash(scp:*)
  - Read(.env)
  - Read(.env.*)
  - Read(*.pem)
  - Read(*.key)
```

This baseline allows common dev operations while blocking destructive commands and secret file access.
