AI agents on Mac also often request this permission and it allows them to access information that you may not want them to have. If you know where the data is stored, you can access entire messages, contacts, photos, emails, browsing history, and much more with just these settings.
In a note on its developer site, Apple says it’s about to crack down on this abuse of full disk access by introducing additional controls:
We provide developers with powerful APIs to build incredible capabilities in their apps for Apple products, backed by a set of controls designed to protect users’ private data. Full Disk Access largely bypasses these controls to allow backup applications to function properly on Mac. Some developers use full disk access in ways that could put users at risk, exposing everything on their systems (including files, mail, messages, and even browsing history) without users’ full knowledge and understanding. For communication apps, this can also compromise the privacy of the people users communicate with.
In the future, we will introduce additional controls to ensure that users who actually want to grant an application this extraordinary level of access can only do so with very explicit user action. Addressing this is essential. As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially. We are committed to ensuring that users clearly understand these risks before granting them such access, so that they can make informed decisions about their own data and privacy.
Apple hasn’t yet said what form these controls will take, but it’s likely to start with stricter wording for this setting, making it clear that any app requesting this access can essentially see all on your disk, including each cache and buffer that stores information from online services.
We’re starting to hear a lot of horror stories about AI agents having knowledge they’re not supposed to have or wreaking havoc by deleting or modifying important files, and they almost always arise from this simple, overly permissive setting that grants access to read and write almost every file on your Mac.
Apple hasn’t given a time frame for this crackdown on full disk access abuse, but given how many apps (not just AI agents) use it when they don’t really need to access your Mac’s entire drive, it can’t come soon enough.
