# Protect Agent Config

Protect Agent Config: what it does, its label on each agent, what it misses, and examples.

Catalog policy protect-agent-config, version 0.7.6, labelled blocks on Claude Code.

> Ask the user before running any command on this page: each one changes how their agent or repository behaves.

## What it does

Stops an agent editing its guardrails (MITRE ATLAS AML.T0081). Shell guard refuses writes to AGENTS.md, whole agent folders (.claude/, .cursor/, .codex/, .gemini/, .agents/, .chock/, ...), MCP/hook client configs (.mcp.json, ...), guardrails toggles, plugin install markers, chock.lock, hook files of Cline, Kiro, Augment, Windsurf and Devin (user and machine level), ~/.claude.json, Claude Code plugin roots, project config of Kilo Code, opencode, Factory, Amp, Continue and Goose, .git/{hooks,config}, policy implementations/: redirect, rm/mv/tee/sed -i, cp into, git checkout/restore, a write through a symlink; CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_DIRS, claude --plugin-dir, chock resume (best effort). Any case. An instruction file under docs/ asks a person. Coarse: also eval or sh -c of computed text, shells fed by pipe/variable, interpreter one-liners naming such a path. Reads, \`chock sync\` pass. Edit/Write: tool gate, same set and verdicts. Misses: user config under ~/.config/, writes a script makes, an existing hard link.

## On each agent

| Agent | Label | What it does there |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Claude Code | Blocks | Refuses a matched shell command before it runs. Blocks on an agent's file writes and at turn end |
| Cursor | Blocks | Refuses a matched shell command before it runs. Where its description says it asks, it asks. Blocks on an agent's file writes and at turn end. Where its description says it asks, it refuses at both points, because this client cannot prompt at either point |
| Codex | Blocks | Refuses a matched shell command before it runs. Where its description says it asks, it refuses, because this client cannot prompt before a shell command. Blocks on an agent's file writes and at turn end. Where its description says it asks, it refuses at both points, because this client cannot prompt at either point. If the hook errors, the action goes through (not witnessed; the vendor's row is only partly live-run) |
| GitHub Copilot | Blocks | Refuses a matched shell command before it runs. Where its description says it asks, it asks in VS Code and refuses in Copilot CLI, because it cannot prompt there. Blocks at turn end only. It does not check a file write when it happens. Where its description says it asks, it refuses at turn end, because this client cannot prompt there. If the hook errors, the action goes through (not witnessed; the vendor's row is only partly live-run) |
| Devin | Blocks | Refuses a matched shell command before it runs. Where its description says it asks, it refuses, because this client cannot prompt before a shell command. Blocks at turn end only. It does not check a file write when it happens. Where its description says it asks, it refuses at turn end, because this client cannot prompt there. If the hook errors, the action goes through (vendor docs only, not witnessed) |
| Grok | Not graded | Not graded yet for Grok |
| goose | Not graded | Not graded yet for goose |
| Antigravity | Not graded | Not graded yet for Antigravity |
| OpenHands | Not graded | Not graded yet for OpenHands |
| Kimi Code | Not graded | Not graded yet for Kimi Code |
| Factory Droid | Not graded | Not graded yet for Factory Droid |

## What it misses

User config under ~/.config/, writes a script makes, an existing hard link.

## Examples from its eval suite

Refused: An agent rewrites its own permission file in place.

`sed -i s/deny/allow/ .claude/settings.json`

Allowed: An agent reads its permission file.

`cat .claude/settings.json`

## More

- [The policy on the catalog pages](https://chock.sh/coding/policies/protect-agent-config/)
- [Source at the pinned catalog commit](https://github.com/open-coder-ai/chock-catalog/tree/1e60d211c1bb767152c6ab0167932da06ab3a10f/base/protect-agent-config)


---

Built from engine [5a4b6287a46e](https://github.com/open-coder-ai/chock/commit/5a4b6287a46e07f9f856d9bbe10622bd1ff2e021) and catalog [1e60d211c1bb](https://github.com/open-coder-ai/chock-catalog/commit/1e60d211c1bb767152c6ab0167932da06ab3a10f).