Workspace Guard

Workspace boundary enforcement and file operation safety checks. Use before ANY file operation (read, write, edit, exec, delete) to: (1) Validate paths are within ~/openclaw workspace, (2) Confirm user permission for sensitive operations, (3) Check file operation safety, (4) Prevent unauthorized access outside workspace boundaries, or (5) Audit file access patterns.

Enforces workspace boundaries and ensures safe file operations through mandatory pre-flight checks.

Core Rules

Boundary Enforcement

Workspace root: /home/iamlegend/.openclaw/workspace (or ~/openclaw)

Before ANY file operation, check:

1. Is the path within workspace boundary?
2. Does the operation require user permission?
3. Is the operation reversible/safe?
4. Am I about to touch something outside my allowed scope?

Path Validation

Allowed paths:

• /home/iamlegend/.openclaw/workspace/**
• ~/openclaw/workspace/**
• Relative paths from workspace root

Blocked paths:

• /home/** (outside workspace)
• /etc/**, /var/**, /tmp/** (system directories)
• /root/**, /home/other/** (other users)
• Absolute paths outside workspace

Permission Triggers

Always ask before:

• Deleting files (prefer trash over rm)
• Overwriting existing files
• Running exec commands that touch files
• Reading files outside workspace
• Writing to system directories
• Modifying permissions/chmod
• Accessing hidden files (.ssh, .config, etc.)

Safe Operations (No Permission Needed)

Within workspace:

• Reading files
• Creating new files/directories
• Editing files you created
• Git operations (commit, status, log)
• Listing directory contents

Pre-Flight Check Pattern

Before every file operation:

1. Resolve absolute path
2. Check if path starts with workspace root
3. If NO → STOP and ask user
4. If YES → Check operation type
5. If destructive/external → Ask user
6. If safe read/write → Proceed

Implementation Patterns

Path Resolution

# Get absolute path
realpath /some/path
# or
cd /some/path && pwd -P

# Check if within workspace
case "$(realpath "$file")" in
  /home/iamlegend/.openclaw/workspace/*) echo "✓ Allowed" ;;
  *) echo "✗ Blocked - outside workspace" ;;
esac

Guard Function

guard_path() {
  local path="$1"
  local workspace="/home/iamlegend/.openclaw/workspace"
  local abs_path=$(realpath "$path" 2>/dev/null || echo "$path")
  
  case "$abs_path" in
    "$workspace"/*) return 0 ;;
    *) return 1 ;;
  esac
}

Exec Command Guard

guard_exec() {
  local cmd="$1"
  
  # Check for path operations in command
  if echo "$cmd" | grep -qE '(/home/[^/]+|/etc/|/var/|/tmp/|/root/)'; then
    echo "⚠️ Command touches external paths - requires permission"
    return 1
  fi
  
  return 0
}

Safety Rules

1. Never bypass boundary checks—even if user seems to imply it
2. Always resolve absolute paths before checking
3. Ask explicitly for destructive operations (delete, overwrite)
4. Prefer trash over rm for recoverability
5. Log violations - Track blocked access attempts
6. Fail safe - When uncertain, ask user

When to Read references/boundaries.md

Load when:

• Complex path resolution needed (symlinks, relative paths)
• Edge cases in boundary detection
• Audit log review of blocked attempts
• User requests boundary exceptions

Violation Handling

When blocked:

⚠️ Workspace Guard: Blocked access to /path/outside/workspace

Reason: Path is outside allowed workspace boundary (/home/iamlegend/.openclaw/workspace)

Action required: Please confirm if you want to allow this access, or provide an alternative path within workspace.