---
title: "Permissions"
url: "/docs/harness/permissions"
canonical_url: "https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/harness/permissions"
type: "docs"
last_updated: "2026-10-01"
summary: "permissions= takes a mode, and each adapter sets up its runtime's own permission system to match. The default is \"full\", because the sandbox is the boundary. Pick a Docker sandbox when you don't trust the code, and a narrower mode when..."
related:
  - "/docs/harness/tools"
  - "/docs/harness/structured_output"
---
# Permissions

> Index of all LiteLLM docs: https://docs.litellm.ai/llms.txt


`permissions=` takes a mode, and each adapter sets up its runtime's own permission system to match. The default is `"full"`, because the sandbox is the boundary. Pick a Docker sandbox when you don't trust the code, and a narrower mode when the task doesn't need to write.

| Mode | Read files | Edit files | Shell and network |
|---|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| `"read-only"` | yes | no | no |
| `"edit"` | yes | yes | no |
| `"full"` (default) | yes | yes | yes |

## Harness support

If you ask for a mode the harness can't enforce, the call raises `CapabilityUnsupported` before the runtime starts. It never falls back to a looser mode.

| Harness | `read-only` | `edit` | `full` |
|---|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| `CLAUDE_CODE` | yes | yes | yes |
| `CODEX` | yes | no | yes |
| `OPENCODE` | yes | yes | yes |
| `DEEPAGENTS` | yes | yes | yes |

## Approvals

The API also accepts `permissions="ask"` with an `on_approval` callback, or `Approval` events in a stream. The CLI harnesses don't support it in this release and raise `CapabilityUnsupported`. Check `litellm.agent_capabilities(harness).tool_approval` before depending on it.

```python
from litellm.harness import Approval

def approve(a: Approval) -> bool:
    return a.tool == "bash" and a.input["command"].startswith("pytest")
```

A request nobody answers is denied, and so is one whose callback raises.

## Related pages

- [Tools and skills](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/harness/tools.md)
- [Structured output](https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/harness/structured_output.md)