Almanac may need to read or edit files and run commands to complete a task. You choose which actions it can take automatically and which require your approval.
Choose an approval mode
Go to Settings > Configuration > Request approval, or use the approval control in the composer, then choose a mode:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Untrusted | Ask before every action, including reading a file. |
| Ask for approval | Allow Almanac to read files, and ask before editing a file or running a command. |
| Full access | Allow Almanac to edit files and run commands without asking. |
Ask for approval is the default.
Choose Untrusted when you want to review every action. Choose Full access when you don’t need Almanac to pause before ordinary file edits and commands.
An approval applies to one action. Almanac asks again for the next action unless you save a rule.
Review an approval request
When Almanac needs approval, it shows what it wants to do and why. You can approve the action once, deny it, or save your decision as a rule.
A decision saved for This chat only applies to the current conversation. A permanent decision remains in effect until you change or delete it.
Manage permission rules
Go to Settings > Configuration > Permissions to review or create rules.
A rule can:
- Allow an action without asking.
- Ask before the action every time.
- Deny the action.
Each rule shows what it matches, the type of action, its scope, and its current behavior. You can edit a rule or create one directly.
A Deny rule prevents the matching action from running.
Changing a temporary rule to an always-on rule expands it beyond the current session. Almanac shows the new scope before you save it.
Review actions that leave Almanac
Almanac asks before an action changes something in a system outside the conversation, such as:
- Writing to a connected clinical system, including an order or a note prepared for your EHR.
- Sending a prescription through a connected e-prescribing service.
- Creating, changing, or canceling a calendar event.
- Any other connector action that isn’t read-only.
Reading doesn’t require approval in Ask for approval mode. Looking up a chart, a drug reference, or the literature runs without pausing, because retrieval changes nothing.
Almanac drafts messages and documents for you to review. You send them.
In Full access, the actions above run without asking. If you use connectors that write to clinical systems, stay in Ask for approval, or create a Deny rule for the actions you never want taken. A Deny rule applies in every mode.
Protected actions
Some actions always require approval, including in Full access. Permission rules can’t bypass these protections.
Protected actions include:
- Accessing credentials, keys,
.envfiles, or registry sign-ins. - Changing shell startup or system authentication files.
- Rewriting the version history of your files.
- Running commands that can erase data, rewrite Git history, or send a download directly to a shell.
Review these requests carefully before approving them.
Control where Almanac works
Code Almanac runs for file work or analysis stays in a sandbox belonging to the current conversation. The sandbox doesn’t have access to your computer or the open web by default.
Approval settings control what Almanac may do. Sandbox and network settings control what it can reach.
See The sandbox and Internet access.
Choose available capabilities
Go to Settings > Configuration > Capabilities to choose which built-in tools are available. Use Inline visualizations to control whether Almanac can show charts, diagrams, and interactive views in a response.
Follow organization policy
Your organization may manage settings you can’t change. Managed rules appear as read-only entries in your permissions table.