Manage the Tool Allowlist to Prohibit High-Risk Tools

A tool allowlist is the core method to harden OpenClaw security. By limiting the system capabilities that an agent can invoke, it prevents high-risk operations (such as file deletion, arbitrary command execution, and permission modification) from being maliciously exploited or accidentally executed.

Tool Description

**Table 1** Tool group description
Tool Group	Included Tool	Risk Level
group:runtime	exec, bash, and process	Critical
group:fs	read, write, edit, and apply_patch	High
group:web	web_search and web_fetch	Medium
group:ui	browser and canvas	Medium
group:sessions	sessions_list, sessions_history, sessions_send, sessions_spawn, and session_status	Low
group:memory	memory_search and memory_get	Low

**Table 2** High-risk tools
Tool	Risk Description	Enforcement Level
exec	Executes arbitrary shell commands. It can lead to database deletion and system tampering.	Mandatory
process	Manages background processes. It can terminate critical services.	Mandatory
write / edit / apply_patch	Writes or modifies files. It can overwrite sensitive configurations.	Strongly recommended
browser	It may access sensitive websites, scrape authenticated pages, or be manipulated by attackers into performing malicious operations.	Recommended
nodes	Node scheduling, which is typically unused by default	Recommended
canvas	Drawing function, which is rarely used.	Recommended

Procedure

Method 1

You can run commands to disable tools as required.

Disabling all high-risk tools
The following command disables all runtime, file system, network, UI interaction, node, canvas drawing, and patching tools/operations.
```
openclaw config set tools.deny '["group:runtime","group:fs","group:web","group:ui","nodes","canvas","apply_patch"]' --json
```

Minimum restriction
The following command disables only runtime operation tools, such as exec, bash, and process.
```
openclaw config set tools.deny '["group:runtime"]' --json
```

Using preset profiles

Allows for quick configuration. Select a profile that matches your scenario.

openclaw config set tools.profile "minimal"
openclaw config set tools.profile "messaging"
openclaw config set tools.profile "coding"

Profile matrix:

Profile	Included Tool	Application Scenario
minimal	Only session_status	Read-only chat scenarios (most secure)
messaging	Message tool group	Chatbots
coding	Grants development-related permissions: file system (group:fs, e.g., read/write), runtime (group:runtime, e.g., exec/process), sessions (group:sessions), network (group:web), memory (group:memory), and images (image).	Development/Coding
full	No permission restrictions	Local development, function testing, and scenarios requiring unrestricted AI capabilities

Set security hardening baselines for fs and exec.

openclaw config set tools.fs.workspaceOnly true
openclaw config set tools.exec.security "deny"
openclaw config set tools.exec.ask "always"

Restart the OpenClaw gateway.
```
openclaw gateway restart
```

Method 2

Open the configuration file.
```
vim ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
```

Press i to enter the insert mode. Modify the file as follows. If the items do not exist, add them manually. The example below demonstrates disabling all high-risk tools. You can disable tools as required.

{
  "tools": {
    "deny": [
      "group:runtime",   // Runtime tool group (exec, bash, and process) – Critical!
      "group:ui",        // Disables UI interaction tools; this will affect TUI functionality.
      "group:fs",        // Disables file system operations (read/write/delete, and directory traversal)
      "group:web",       // Disables network tools (and their operations such as HTTP requests and web scraping)
      "nodes",           // Disables node operations (related to node management tools)
      "canvas",          // Disables canvas/drawing tools.
      "apply_patch"      // Disables patching tools (to prohibit code modifications)
    ]
  }
}

Alternatively, you can implement granular restriction by explicitly listing the tools to be disabled. See the following example.

{
  "tools": {
    "allow": [
      "read",
      "web_search",
      "web_fetch",
      "sessions_list",
      "session_status",
      "memory_search",
      "memory_get"
    ],
    "deny": [
      "exec",
      "process",
      "write",
      "edit",
      "apply_patch",
      "nodes",
      "canvas",
      "cron",
      "gateway"
    ]
  }
}

You can also use the preset profile. See the following example.

{

tools: {

profile: "messaging",

deny: ["group:automation", "group:runtime", "group:fs", "sessions_spawn", "sessions_send"],

fs: { workspaceOnly: true },

exec: { security: "deny", ask: "always" },

elevated: { enabled: false }

}

Press Esc to exit the insert mode. Type :wq! and press Enter to save the file and exit.
Restart the OpenClaw gateway.
```
openclaw gateway restart
```

Parent topic: Manual Configuration Items