Full Disk Access and Claude Code on macOS: what the permission does

macOS protects Desktop, Documents, Downloads and a few other folders. Any app that reads them needs permission, and a terminal app running an agent is no exception. Without it, the first ls in your Documents folder fails with Operation not permitted and the agent concludes the folder is empty.

Grant it once

System Settings, Privacy and Security, Full Disk Access, turn on the terminal app. For adhdTerminal, setup step three opens that screen for you, and the step ticks itself off when the permission is in place.

The permission belongs to the app, not to each session. One grant covers every tile.

If you skipped it

The app watches tile output for the permission error. The first time a tile hits it, you get a sheet with a button to the right settings page. It asks at most every ten minutes and stops asking once the permission is granted.

What it does not do

Full Disk Access does not send anything anywhere. It lets the app read folders on your Mac. What the agent then sends to Anthropic is governed by Claude Code and your prompts, exactly as in Terminal.