# The desktop app, with local tools switched on

> A starting mandate for desktop: I want it to read and write the files I point it at, and to reach the sites it needs to answer me. I did not turn it on so that it could run…

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[Play](../../../index.md) / [The map](../../../map/index.md) / [The mandates](../../../map/mandates/index.md) / The desktop app, with local tools switched on

# The desktop app, with local tools switched on

I want it to read and write the files I point it at, and to reach the sites it needs to answer me. I did not turn it on so that it could run programs on my machine, read credentials, act in my accounts, read my past sessions, or change its own settings.

Status: **starting-point** · authored 2026-09-09 · the site, as a starting point — not measured, not surveyed; the first thing to argue with · [edit this mandate](https://github.com/SGit-AI/SGit-AI__Website__Game__What-Can-It-Do/edit/dev/data/mandates/desktop-app-with-local-tools.json)

## The delta

Against every profile this mandate applies to. ▲ is authority you did not ask for; ▼ is something you were counting on that is not there. The tally is at the bottom.

Legend: ▲ excess — it can, and you did not want it to · ▼ shortfall — it cannot, and you wanted it to · ✓ aligned — it can, and you wanted it to · – aligned — it cannot, and you did not want it to · ? it can, and the mandate does not say · · it cannot, and the mandate does not say

| Capability | Claude Desktop (local tools) |
|---|---|
| **filesystem** |  |
| Read the project it is working on | ✓ |
| Change the project it is working on | ✓ |
| Read any file the account can reach — *unstated: ‘the files I point it at’ and ‘any file my account can read’ are different things, and which one the local-tools grant actually is depends on the setup* | ? |
| Change any file the account can reach | ▲ |
| Delete files anywhere the account can reach | · |
| Read a retained record: shell history, past sessions | ▲ |
| **process** |  |
| Run programs as the account | ▲ |
| Run programs inside its own sandbox only | · |
| **network** |  |
| Reach a permitted list of hosts | ▼ |
| Reach any host on the internet | ? |
| **identity** |  |
| Read credentials stored where it runs | ▲ |
| Act in accounts with the credentials it holds | ▲ |
| Change its own permission settings | ▲ |
| **communication** |  |
| Send a message to anyone | · |
| Read mail or chat it is connected to | · |
| **code** |  |
| Commit to the repository it was pointed at | · |
| Push to a code host (any branch it can reach) | · |
| Sign commits with the key it holds | · |
| Publish packages, images or pages under the name it holds | · |
| **money** |  |
| Spend money or tokens against an account it holds | · |
| **schedule** |  |
| Create something that outlives the turn where it runs (a cron, a service) | · |
| Create something that outlives the session, on the platform (a routine, a scheduled trigger, a new session) | · |
| **browser** |  |
| Read every page you visit | · |
| **The delta** | ▲ 6 · ▼ 1 |

## In words

- **Claude Desktop — local tools:** excess — Change any file the account can reach; Run programs as the account; Read credentials stored where it runs; Act in accounts with the credentials it holds; Change its own permission settings; Read a retained record: shell history, past sessions. Shortfall — Reach a permitted list of hosts.

## The mandate, row by row

| Capability | Position | Note |
|---|---|---|
| [Read the project it is working on](../../../map/capabilities/read.file.project/index.md) | want |  |
| [Change the project it is working on](../../../map/capabilities/write.file.project/index.md) | want |  |
| [Reach a permitted list of hosts](../../../map/capabilities/send.endpoint.allowed/index.md) | want |  |
| [Run programs as the account](../../../map/capabilities/execute.process.host/index.md) | do not want |  |
| [Read credentials stored where it runs](../../../map/capabilities/read.credential.host/index.md) | do not want |  |
| [Act in accounts with the credentials it holds](../../../map/capabilities/authenticate-as.credential.tenant/index.md) | do not want |  |
| [Change its own permission settings](../../../map/capabilities/grant.credential.self/index.md) | do not want |  |
| [Read a retained record: shell history, past sessions](../../../map/capabilities/read.record.history/index.md) | do not want |  |
| [Change any file the account can reach](../../../map/capabilities/write.file.host/index.md) | do not want |  |
| [Read any file the account can reach](../../../map/capabilities/read.file.host/index.md) | unstated | unstated: ‘the files I point it at’ and ‘any file my account can read’ are different things, and which one the local-tools grant actually is depends on the setup |

> **You cannot deny the excess rows.** The agent already has the access. What is left is how long you are prepared to live with each one and who says so — [what to do next](../../../what-next/index.md).

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