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Exec approvals

Exec approvals are the companion app / node host guardrail for letting a sandboxed agent run commands on a real host (gateway or node). Think of it like a safety interlock: commands are allowed only when policy + allowlist + (optional) user approval all agree. Exec approvals are in addition to tool policy and elevated gating. If the companion app UI is not available, any request that requires a prompt is resolved by the ask fallback (default: deny).

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Where it applies

Exec approvals are enforced locally on the execution host:
  • gateway host → clawdbot process on the gateway machine
  • node host → node runner (macOS companion app or headless node host)
Planned macOS split:
  • node service forwards system.run to the macOS app over local IPC.
  • macOS app enforces approvals + executes the command in UI context.

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Settings and storage

Approvals live in a local JSON file on the execution host: ~/.clawdbot/exec-approvals.json Example schema: 
{
  "version": 1,
  "socket": {
    "path": "~/.clawdbot/exec-approvals.sock",
    "token": "base64url-token"
  },
  "defaults": {
    "security": "deny",
    "ask": "on-miss",
    "askFallback": "deny",
    "autoAllowSkills": false
  },
  "agents": {
    "main": {
      "security": "allowlist",
      "ask": "on-miss",
      "askFallback": "deny",
      "autoAllowSkills": true,
      "allowlist": [
        {
          "pattern": "~/Projects/**/bin/rg",
          "lastUsedAt": 1737150000000,
          "lastUsedCommand": "rg -n TODO",
          "lastResolvedPath": "/Users/user/Projects/.../bin/rg"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

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Policy knobs

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Security (exec.security)

  • deny: block all host exec requests.
  • allowlist: allow only allowlisted commands.
  • full: allow everything (equivalent to elevated).

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Ask (exec.ask)

  • off: never prompt.
  • on-miss: prompt only when allowlist does not match.
  • always: prompt on every command.

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Ask fallback (askFallback)

If a prompt is required but no UI is reachable, fallback decides:
  • deny: block.
  • allowlist: allow only if allowlist matches.
  • full: allow.

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Allowlist (per agent)

Allowlists are per agent. If multiple agents exist, switch which agent you’re editing in the macOS app. Patterns are case-insensitive glob matches. Examples:
  • ~/Projects/**/bin/bird
  • ~/.local/bin/*
  • /opt/homebrew/bin/rg
Each allowlist entry tracks:
  • last used timestamp
  • last used command
  • last resolved path

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Auto-allow skill CLIs

When Auto-allow skill CLIs is enabled, executables referenced by known skills are treated as allowlisted on nodes (macOS node or headless node host). This uses the Bridge RPC to ask the gateway for the skill bin list. Disable this if you want strict manual allowlists.

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Control UI editing

Use the Control UI → Nodes → Exec approvals card to edit defaults, per‑agent overrides, and allowlists. Pick a scope (Defaults or an agent), tweak the policy, add/remove allowlist patterns, then Save. The UI shows last used metadata per pattern so you can keep the list tidy. The target selector chooses Gateway (local approvals) or a Node. Nodes must advertise system.execApprovals.get/set (macOS app or headless node host). If a node does not advertise exec approvals yet, edit its local ~/.clawdbot/exec-approvals.json directly. CLI: clawdbot approvals supports gateway or node editing (see Approvals CLI).

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Approval flow

When a prompt is required, the companion app displays a confirmation dialog with:
  • command + args
  • cwd
  • agent id
  • resolved executable path
  • host + policy metadata
Actions:
  • Allow once → run now
  • Always allow → add to allowlist + run
  • Deny → block

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macOS IPC flow (planned)

Gateway -> Bridge -> Node Service (TS)
                    |  IPC (UDS + token + HMAC + TTL)
                    v
                Mac App (UI + approvals + system.run)
Security notes:
  • Unix socket mode 0600, token stored in exec-approvals.json.
  • Same-UID peer check.
  • Challenge/response (nonce + HMAC token + request hash) + short TTL.

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System events

Exec lifecycle is surfaced as system messages:
  • exec.started
  • exec.finished
  • exec.denied
These are posted to the agent’s session after the node reports the event.

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Implications

  • full is powerful; prefer allowlists when possible.
  • ask keeps you in the loop while still allowing fast approvals.
  • Per-agent allowlists prevent one agent’s approvals from leaking into others.
Related: