Permissions and autonomy#

VOOL distinguishes reading from changing. Reading tools operate inside the workspace you granted. Anything that changes something — writing files, running commands, sending a payment — is governed by the permission system, not by the model's judgement.

What is this for?#

Deciding, before anything runs, which actions need your explicit approval and which refusals are final. The model proposes; the permission controller decides.

How does it work?#

• Read tools (opening a file, listing a folder, searching) run inside the granted workspace without a prompt.
• Changing tools ask first. The approval names the exact action and scope — the file that will be written, the command that will run — and the action happens only after you approve it.
• Modes narrow, never widen. A mode (or a skill's declared tool budget) can reduce what is offered; no mode, skill, or plugin grants anything. See Skills and plugins.
• Spending is its own authority. Approving an action never approves spending; price guards and spend caps refuse before the provider is contacted. See Spending limits.

What permission or connection does it require?#

None to use — the permission system is always on. There is no setting that turns it off, and no recovery link that grants a permission on your behalf.

What can go wrong?#

• permission_denied — an action was not permitted, so nothing was changed. The refusal names the governing scope. What to do next: request the action explicitly so it is inside an authorized scope, or change the governing policy deliberately in settings.
• confinement_refusal — a file change outside the allowed scope was blocked. Nothing outside the scope was touched. If you want the change, request it explicitly.
• tool_unavailable — a tool this mode offers is not available here; the message names the missing prerequisite (for example, enabling a plugin).
• A waiting approval is not a failure. A permission request waiting for you is not an error; the turn waits. Cancelling your answer cancels the action — it does not run half-way.

What do I do next?#

Read what the refusal names, change that one thing, and try again. Refusals never leave partial effects behind: the wording states exactly what did not happen. Full contracts for every code are in the Error Book.