Apple is preparing additional controls for Full Disk Access in macOS as increasingly capable AI agents raise new privacy and security concerns.

In a developer update, Apple said Full Disk Access gives applications access to sensitive information that would otherwise be protected by macOS. The company now plans to introduce additional controls for granting this permission, particularly as AI agents become more capable and autonomous.

Apple says Full Disk Access can expose sensitive information stored on a Mac, including files, email, messages and browsing history. While the permission can be necessary for legitimate applications such as backup tools, Apple warns that its broad scope can also create significant privacy risks.

The company says those risks are becoming more important as AI agents evolve from systems that simply respond to prompts into software capable of taking actions on a user’s behalf.

Apple is adding more controls to Full Disk Access

Full Disk Access is one of the broadest privacy permissions available to macOS applications. When an application receives the permission, it can access data that would normally be protected by macOS’s privacy controls.

Apple says some applications have legitimate reasons to require that level of access. Backup software is one example, since it may need to access large portions of a user’s Mac to properly protect their data.

However, Apple says some developers are using Full Disk Access in ways that could put users at risk.

The company plans to introduce additional controls so users who want to grant an application Full Disk Access will have to take a more explicit action.

Apple has not yet provided details about exactly how the new controls will work or when they will arrive.

AI agents make broad Mac access more significant

The timing of Apple’s announcement is notable because AI agents are becoming increasingly capable of interacting with computers rather than simply generating information.

An AI agent with access to a Mac could potentially work with files, retrieve information and interact with applications while carrying out tasks for a user. If that software also has Full Disk Access, the amount of information within its potential reach becomes considerably larger.

Apple says the risks associated with Full Disk Access “will grow substantially” as AI agents become more capable.

That does not mean Apple considers AI agents inherently unsafe. Instead, the company’s announcement highlights a broader problem: a permission designed for conventional applications becomes more consequential when granted to software that can increasingly act autonomously.

For users, that makes the decision to grant Full Disk Access more important than simply checking whether an application appears trustworthy.

Full Disk Access can expose sensitive information

Apple specifically points to the breadth of information that can become accessible when an application has Full Disk Access.

That can include personal files as well as email, messages and browsing history. Communication applications can also potentially gain access to information involving other people with whom the user communicates.

This is why Apple describes Full Disk Access as an “extraordinary level of access” and says users should understand the implications before granting it.

The permission remains useful for applications that genuinely need extensive access to a Mac. Apple’s planned changes are intended to give users greater control over when that access is granted.

Apple has not announced a specific release date

For now, Apple has announced the planned change but has not disclosed when the additional Full Disk Access controls will become available.

The company also has not said that the change is targeted at a particular AI application or security incident.

Instead, Apple’s developer announcement frames the change around a broader shift in computing: AI agents are becoming more capable, and existing permission models need to account for the additional risks that come with that capability.

That could become increasingly important as AI assistants gain the ability to interact directly with files, applications and other parts of the operating system.

For Mac users, the takeaway is straightforward: Full Disk Access is a powerful permission, and Apple wants users to make a more deliberate decision before giving an application that level of access.

As AI agents become more autonomous, macOS permissions may need to become more granular so users can give software access to the specific information and actions it needs without automatically opening the door to everything else.