The Tool Desk
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Understand the three controls that determine what an agent can do
AI coding agents may be able to inspect files, edit them, run terminal commands, or contact external services. What they can actually do depends on the host application and session configuration, so check the controls separately rather than relying on a single “read-only” label.
Tool availability
Tools define the actions an agent can request. The strongest starting point is to remove write-capable tools when the product supports that configuration. Anthropic documents a custom Claude Code agent limited to the Read tool, without edit or Bash capability: Claude Code power-user tips. A natural-language instruction not to edit does not remove a tool the session can still use.
Permission and approval rules
Approval prompts decide whether an action needs your permission; they do not necessarily make that action impossible. In Gemini Code Assist agent mode, read-only requests might not require permission, while filesystem-modifying and other mutating requests require permission unless you configured those tools to always be allowed. That distinction means “it didn’t ask” is not proof that the agent cannot write: Google Cloud’s agent-mode overview.
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Sandbox boundaries
A sandbox can restrict what a process can access, but its coverage matters. VS Code says its terminal sandbox applies to shell subprocesses, not built-in file tools; file read, edit, and write tools instead use VS Code’s permission system. Terminal sandboxing alone therefore does not prevent every agent file edit. See Microsoft’s trust and safety guidance for AI agents.
Prepare a useful, low-risk bug report
Give the agent enough context to trace the failure without asking it to guess. Before opening the session, collect:
- The exact observed behavior and the expected behavior.
- Minimal reproduction steps, including relevant inputs and conditions.
- Error messages, logs, or stack traces, with credentials and other secrets removed.
- Likely entry points, affected files, and any relevant environment or version details.
Ask it to inspect only what is needed to follow the suspected execution path. Keep diagnosis separate from commands that could create caches, update snapshots, run migrations, change a database, contact a service, or alter repository state. If you are unsure whether a command is read-only, have the agent explain what it would do and verify that independently before permitting it.
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Use a prompt that asks for evidence, not just a guess
This template sets expectations and makes the output easier to check. It communicates intent; it does not enforce permissions, so configure the session’s tools and boundaries as well.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsDiagnose this bug using read-only inspection only. Do not edit, create, delete, or reformat files. Do not run commands that write files, change repository state, contact external services, or alter infrastructure. First restate the observed behavior and reproduction steps. Then identify the likely cause and cite the files, symbols, and lines that support it. Separate confirmed observations from hypotheses, list alternative explanations, and suggest read-only checks that would distinguish them. If a requested check requires a write, a command with side effects, or network access, stop and explain what it would do instead of running it.
For a diagnosis you can evaluate, look for a clear chain from the symptom to the relevant code and then to the proposed explanation. Treat the agent’s interpretation as a lead: open the cited files, check that the symbols and lines support the claim, and consider whether another execution path could produce the same behavior.
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Set product controls before sharing the repository
Product labels and defaults can change. Confirm the effective settings in the installed version rather than assuming a control works the same way across products.
OpenAI Codex
Codex CLI documentation describes Codex as able to inspect files, make edits, and run local tools, with permissions chosen for the task. It directs users to /permissions to set boundaries for file edits and command execution. Use the current interface to confirm the active mode before beginning. Codex also documents a review workflow that reports prioritized findings without modifying the working tree, and recommends Git checkpoints before and after a task: Codex CLI documentation.
Visual Studio Code agent sessions
VS Code provides permission levels, sensitive-action approvals, trust boundaries, terminal sandboxing, and diff review. Its approval documentation says common read-only terminal commands run automatically by default, while risky commands such as rm and del require approval. Microsoft calls terminal auto-approval a best-effort convenience, not a security boundary, and notes that complex syntax or obfuscation can evade command detection. The same documentation described terminal sandboxing as Preview on macOS, Linux, and WSL2, and Experimental on Windows at the time of review; check the current release state and settings before relying on it: Manage approvals and permissions.
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VS Code also warns that restoring workspace files does not reverse completed terminal commands, network requests, deployments, or changes to external services. A file diff or Git status cannot reveal every effect outside the working tree: Understand trust and safety for AI agents.
Claude Code
Anthropic’s documented custom-agent example restricts the agent to the Read tool, without edit or Bash access. That is a capability restriction, not just a request to behave: Claude Code power-user tips. Because configuration syntax may change, follow the current Anthropic documentation when setting it up.
Gemini Code Assist
Agent mode can use tools such as grep, file read and write, Google Search, MCP servers, and terminal, depending on the IDE and configuration. Google distinguishes read-only requests from filesystem-modifying and other mutating requests, but a permission prompt is not the same as removing write capability. Check which tools are enabled and whether any have been configured to be always allowed: Agent mode overview.
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Constrain commands, network access, and external tools
For a diagnosis-only session, disabling terminal access is the simplest way to avoid command side effects if the agent can still inspect the files it needs. If terminal access is necessary, use the narrowest available permissions and an OS-enforced sandbox where appropriate. Confirm whether that sandbox restricts filesystem access, network access, or both—and which tools it covers.
External integrations need their own scrutiny. MCP servers and other connected services may have capabilities beyond local file inspection. Avoid granting access to services the diagnosis does not need, and do not treat approval rules or workspace-file restoration as a way to undo an external action that has already happened.
Quick Recap
Verify the session, then decide separately whether to implement
- Confirm effective settings. Check the active permission mode and enabled tools in the product—not only your prompt. Verify terminal, network, and connected-service access separately if those controls are available.
- Record the starting state. Where appropriate, inspect
git statusor an equivalent before the session so you can identify unexpected workspace changes afterward. - Check the diagnosis yourself. Open cited files and symbols, compare them with the reproduction steps, and run only checks you have judged safe. An agent’s cited evidence is not proof that its causal explanation is correct.
- Check the ending state. Compare repository status or diffs with the starting point. This can reveal workspace changes, but it cannot establish that no terminal or external side effect occurred.
- Authorize implementation as a new task. If you choose to proceed, explicitly request a patch, review the resulting diff, and decide whether to integrate it. VS Code recommends inspecting AI-generated changes before committing; Codex documents a review workflow that does not modify the working tree.
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