Permissions

Ripperdoc includes a permission system to protect against unintended operations.

How Permissions Work

By default, Ripperdoc prompts for approval before:

• Executing shell commands
• Editing or writing files
• Running potentially destructive operations

When a permission prompt appears, you can:

• y/yes: Allow the operation
• n/no: Deny the operation
• a/always: Always allow this type of operation

YOLO Mode

Skip all permission prompts with YOLO mode:

ripperdoc --yolo

Warning: Use YOLO mode only in trusted environments where you're comfortable with the AI making changes without confirmation.

Permission Rules

Configure permission rules in .ripperdoc/config.json:

{
  "permissions": {
    "mode": "default",
    "rules": [
      {
        "tool": "Bash",
        "pattern": "npm test",
        "action": "allow"
      },
      {
        "tool": "Edit",
        "path": "*.md",
        "action": "allow"
      },
      {
        "tool": "Bash",
        "pattern": "rm -rf",
        "action": "deny"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Rule Properties

Rule Actions

• allow: Automatically approve matching operations
• deny: Automatically reject matching operations
• ask: Always prompt for this operation

Read-Only Operations

Some operations are automatically allowed as read-only:

• Glob - Finding files
• Grep - Searching content
• Read - Reading files
• LS - Listing directories
• Shell commands: ls, cat, head, tail, grep, find (without redirects)

Sandbox Mode

The Bash tool supports sandbox mode for read-only shell operations:

{
  "command": "ls -la",
  "sandbox": true
}

Sandbox mode:

• Prevents filesystem writes
• Blocks network access
• Runs without permission prompts

Working with Sensitive Directories

Ripperdoc will prompt for confirmation when accessing sensitive directories:

• /usr, /etc, /bin, /sbin
• System configuration directories
• Other user home directories

Managing Permissions

Use the /permissions command to view and manage permissions:

> /permissions list
> /permissions add allow Bash "npm *"
> /permissions remove 1

Best Practices

1. Start with defaults: Use the default permission system until you understand your workflow
2. Allow specific commands: Create allow rules for frequently used safe commands
3. Deny dangerous patterns: Explicitly deny patterns like rm -rf /
4. Use sandbox for exploration: Use sandbox mode when exploring unfamiliar codebases
5. Review before YOLO: Only use YOLO mode after reviewing what Ripperdoc will do