Coding agent permissions
Give every coding agent the smallest useful scope.
Coding agent permissions define which project context an agent may read, which files it may modify, which commands it may execute, and where the current task must stop.
- Read
- Context selected for this objective
- Write
- Only the files in the contract
- Execute
- Validation commands, not free shell
- Expansion
- New contract, reviewed first
An agent can inspect surrounding code without being granted permission to rewrite it.
Permission should follow declared intent.
Broad repository access is convenient, but it turns every focused task into a potential system-wide change. A safer run begins with the objective and a declared implementation plan, then grants the files and commands required for that plan.
Kaplira can keep read, write, and execution permissions separate. An agent may inspect surrounding context without receiving permission to rewrite it, and write access can wait until the intended change is explicit.
- Readable context selected for the current objective
- Writable files bounded by the accepted change contract
- Locked blocks that the run must preserve
- Commands tied to validation rather than unrestricted shell use
Scope expansion becomes a visible decision.
Real implementation work sometimes reveals that another file or subsystem must change. The correct response is not to forbid every expansion. It is to make expansion explicit, review the new blast radius, and issue a new contract before editing continues.
This keeps legitimate discoveries possible without allowing a small fix to become an unreviewed refactor.
Permissions need evidence at closeout.
After the run, the declared files are compared with the files that actually changed. Tests and review receipts stay attached to the same scope, so a reviewer can distinguish a bounded outcome from a successful build that reached farther than intended.
Continue exploring
Architecture drift
Bring architectural boundaries into the run, then review the changed responsibilities.
02Agent governance
The boundaries, evidence, and review that keep autonomous changes accountable.
03Regression prevention
Carry known errors, guardrails, and required tests into the runs that follow.
04MCP governance
Keep one project boundary across every MCP-capable executor you use.
Governance is easier to judge on a real run.
The desktop app is free, no signup is required, and the run record stays on your machine by default. Tell me which part of your review actually needs proof — that is what decides what gets built next.
Governance applies to integrated workflows that use the project contract. It does not replace your executor’s sandbox, access controls, tests, or human review, and it does not guarantee correct code. Read the run evidence and security boundaries to see what the record proves.