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name: agent-tools short: Claude Code tool permissions reference description: Reference for configuring tool permissions when launching Claude Code agents. Use when setting up --allowedTools flags, restricting file access, or configuring agent permissions. when: User wants to configure agent permissions, restrict tool access, set up --allowedTools flags, or understand Claude Code CLI tool restrictions

Claude Code Tools Reference

Configure tool permissions when launching parallel Claude Code agents.

Available Tools

CLI Syntax

Each tool is a separate quoted argument:

Copyclaude --allowedTools "Tool1" "Tool2" "Tool3(...)" --print "prompt"

Example with multiple tools:

Copyclaude --allowedTools "Read" "Edit" "Bash(pytest:*)" --print "implement feature"

Path-Specific Restrictions

Restrict file operations to specific directories using gitignore-style patterns.

Path Pattern Syntax

Examples

Copy# Allow editing only in src/ directory
claude --allowedTools "Edit(/src/**)" --print "..."

# Allow editing TypeScript files only
claude --allowedTools "Edit(/src/**/*.ts)" --print "..."

# Multiple path restrictions
claude --allowedTools "Read" "Edit(/apps/users/**)" "Edit(/tests/**)" --print "..."

# Absolute path restriction
claude --allowedTools "Edit(//tmp/scratch.txt)" --print "..."

Bash Command Restrictions

Restrict which shell commands can be executed using prefix matching.

Syntax

CopyBash(command:*)

The :* wildcard only works at the END of patterns (prefix matching).

Pattern Examples

Example

Copyclaude --allowedTools "Bash(pytest:*)" "Bash(mypy:*)" "Bash(ruff:*)" "Read" --print "run tests"

Security Note

Claude Code prevents bypass via shell operators (&&, ;, ||). Be aware:

• Different invocations may bypass patterns (python -m pytest vs pytest)
• For URL restrictions, prefer WebFetch(domain:...) over Bash(curl:*)

WebFetch Domain Restrictions

Restrict web fetches to specific domains:

Copyclaude --allowedTools "WebFetch(domain:github.com)" "WebFetch(domain:docs.python.org)" --print "..."

MCP Tool Restrictions

Allow All Tools from a Server

Copyclaude --allowedTools "mcp__puppeteer" --print "..."

Allow Specific Tool Only

Copyclaude --allowedTools "mcp__puppeteer__puppeteer_navigate" --print "..."

Note: MCP permissions do NOT support wildcards (*).

Recommended Configurations

By Task Type

For Parallel Development

When using git worktrees for isolation, --dangerously-skip-permissions is safe:

• Each agent runs in an isolated worktree
• Agents can only affect files in their workspace
• Main branch remains protected until explicit merge

Copy# Safe in isolated worktree
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions --print "$(cat prompts/task-001.txt)"

For Granular Control

When agents share a workspace, use path-scoped permissions:

Copyclaude \
  --allowedTools \
    "Read" \
    "Write(/apps/users/**)" \
    "Edit(/apps/users/**)" \
    "Bash(pytest apps/users/:*)" \
    "Bash(mypy apps/users/:*)" \
    "Glob" \
    "Grep" \
  --print "$(cat prompts/task-001.txt)"

Complete Examples

Django App Implementation Agent

Copyclaude \
  --allowedTools \
    "Read" \
    "Write(/apps/orders/**)" \
    "Edit(/apps/orders/**)" \
    "Bash(pytest apps/orders/:*)" \
    "Bash(mypy apps/orders/:*)" \
    "Bash(ruff check apps/orders/:*)" \
    "Glob" \
    "Grep" \
  --print "Implement order management per task-004 spec"

React Component Agent

Copyclaude \
  --allowedTools \
    "Read" \
    "Write(/src/components/Dashboard/**)" \
    "Edit(/src/components/Dashboard/**)" \
    "Bash(npm run test:*)" \
    "Bash(npm run lint:*)" \
    "Glob" \
    "Grep" \
  --print "Implement Dashboard components per task-003 spec"

Read-Only Analysis Agent

Copyclaude \
  --allowedTools \
    "Read" \
    "Glob" \
    "Grep" \
    "WebFetch(domain:docs.python.org)" \
  --print "Analyze codebase and suggest improvements"

Quick Reference

Common Patterns

Task-Scoped Permissions

Match permissions to task boundaries:

Copy# Task owns apps/users/
--allowedTools "Edit(/apps/users/**)" "Write(/apps/users/**)"

# Task owns apps/orders/
--allowedTools "Edit(/apps/orders/**)" "Write(/apps/orders/**)"

Test Commands Only

Copy--allowedTools "Read" "Bash(pytest:*)" "Bash(npm test:*)" "Bash(go test:*)"

Documentation Writer

Copy--allowedTools "Read" "Write(/docs/**)" "Edit(/docs/**)" "WebFetch" "WebSearch"

Infrastructure Agent

Copy--allowedTools "Read" "Edit(/terraform/**)" "Edit(/docker-compose.yml)" "Bash(terraform:*)" "Bash(docker:*)"