Apple will limit Mac disk access as AI agents ‘substantially’ increase risk

Mac apps will soon need ‘very explicit user action’ to gain full disk access, according to Apple.

Mac apps will soon need ‘very explicit user action’ to gain full disk access, according to Apple.

by

Emma Roth

Oct 2, 2026, 8:08 PM UTC

Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Emma Roth

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Apple will add new limits for “full disk access” on Mac in response to risks posed by AI agents,as reported earlier byTechCrunch. Inan update on Friday, Apple says it’s rolling out new controls to “ensure that users who genuinely wish to grant an app this extraordinary level of access can only do so with very explicit user action.”

The change comes just weeks afterInc’s Jason Aten found that Meta’s Muse AI somehowknew the contents of his messages, despite not giving the chatbot explicit permission to access them on his iPhone or Mac. Meta spokesperson Andy Stonepushed back on this report, saying access to Messages is “entirely opt-in.” Stone added that you have to “enable both Full Disk Access and the Messages connector for Muse to be able to read your Messages content.”

Now Apple is addressing how developers use that sweeping access, saying:

Some developers are using 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… As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially.

Full disk accessis a permissionon macOS that gives an app access to a user’s entire system. Apple says the feature “largely sidesteps” privacy controls offered to users “to allow backup apps to function properly on Mac.” The company doesn’t say when it plans to roll out its update for full disk access. Apple didn’t immediately respond toThe Verge’s request for comment.

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