Workspace trust
Control which projects can use Bob's full capabilities with workspace folder trust.
Workspace trust gives you control over which projects can use Bob's full capabilities. The first time you open a folder, Bob prompts you to make a trust decision before loading any project-specific configuration, protecting you from potentially malicious code in unfamiliar repositories.
How workspace trust works
When you open a folder for the first time, Bob displays a trust dialog before starting. You can choose one of three options:
- Trust folder: Grant full trust to the current folder (for example,
my-project). - Trust parent folder: Grant trust to the parent directory (for example,
safe-projects), which automatically trusts all of its subdirectories. Use this option if you keep all your projects in one location. - Don't trust: Mark the folder as untrusted. Bob operates in restricted safe mode.
Your choice is saved to ~/.bob/trustedFolders.json, so you are only asked once per folder.
Impact of untrusted folders
When a folder is untrusted, Bob runs in restricted safe mode. The following features are disabled or ignored:
| Feature | Behavior in safe mode |
|---|---|
| Project settings | .bob/settings.json is not loaded. Custom tools and potentially harmful configurations are blocked. |
| Tool auto-approval | You are always prompted before any tool runs, even if auto-approval is enabled globally. |
| MCP servers | Bob does not connect to any MCP servers configured in the workspace. |
| Custom modes | Modes defined in the project folder are unavailable. Only built-in modes and your globally defined modes can be used. |
| Skills | Project-bundled skills are not loaded. Only globally available skills and built-in capabilities are active. |
| Subagents | Custom subagents from the project folder are unavailable. |
| Project instructions | Guidance files such as AGENTS.md and custom project rules are not read. Bob operates without the project's custom instructions. |
Granting trust to a folder restores full functionality for that workspace.
Managing trust
- How trust is resolved
- Bob checks
~/.bob/trustedFolders.jsonfor an existing decision for the current folder each time it starts. - Change the current folder's trust level
- Run the
/permissionsslash command from the Bob chat panel. An interactive dialog lets you review and change the trust level for the current folder. - View all trust rules
- Inspect
~/.bob/trustedFolders.jsonin your home directory for a complete list of your trusted and untrusted folder decisions.
Best practices
- Trust only folders containing code you have reviewed or created yourself.
- Use the Trust parent folder option for directories that contain multiple safe projects.
- Regularly review your trusted folders list in
~/.bob/trustedFolders.json. - When working with unfamiliar code, start in untrusted mode to understand the project before granting trust.