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Folder Access

Not every agent should have access to everything. Pentagon lets you control exactly which folders each agent can read from and write to — clear boundaries that keep agents focused and your code safe.

Access levels

Each folder in your map can be assigned one of three access levels per agent:
LevelWhat the agent can do
Read & WriteFull access — read files, create files, edit files
Read onlyCan read files for context but can’t make changes
No accessFolder is invisible to the agent

Setting folder access

  1. Select the agent on the canvas
  2. Open the Settings tab in the right panel
  3. Under About, you’ll see the list of folders in your map
  4. Set the access level for each folder

Why restrict access?

Safety — An agent working on the frontend doesn’t need write access to your database migrations. Restricting access prevents accidental changes to code outside its scope. Focus — Agents work better when they’re not overwhelmed with irrelevant context. An agent with access to only api/ will focus its attention there instead of wandering through the entire codebase.

Common patterns

Agent roleSuggested access
Frontend developerRead & Write to src/, Read only to api/
Backend developerRead & Write to api/, Read only to src/
ReviewerRead only to everything
Infra/DevOpsRead & Write to infra/, ci/, Read only to everything else

Multi-folder maps

If your map contains multiple project folders (e.g., a frontend repo and a backend repo), you can give each agent access to the specific repos it needs. An agent working on cross-cutting concerns might get access to both.

Next: Teams

Organize agents into functional groups.