Tauri Capabilities & ACL

Quick Guide: Tauri 2 uses a deny-by-default security model. Nothing is accessible unless explicitly granted in a capability file (src-tauri/capabilities/*.json). Capabilities bind permissions to specific windows. Permissions follow the plugin:command identifier pattern. Scopes restrict operations to specific paths or URLs with allow/deny lists (deny always wins). Every plugin and custom command needs a permission grant -- missing permissions cause runtime errors, not compile errors.

Current version: Tauri 2.x (stable). Tauri 1.x used a boolean allowlist which is completely removed in v2.

---

<critical_requirements>

CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

(You MUST create at least one capability file in src-tauri/capabilities/ -- without it, ALL plugin and core API calls fail at runtime)

(You MUST include core:default in every capability -- without it, basic app lifecycle commands fail)

(You MUST scope permissions to specific windows using the windows array -- a window not listed in any capability has zero IPC access)

(You MUST use deny scopes to restrict sensitive paths -- deny ALWAYS takes precedence over allow)

(You MUST use plugin:permission-name format for plugin permissions and plain permission-name for app commands)

</critical_requirements>

---

Auto-detection: Tauri capabilities, src-tauri/capabilities, capability file, permissions, ACL, allow-scope, deny-scope, core:default, fs:allow, shell:allow, http:allow, permission set, remote domain, CapabilityRemote, desktop-schema.json, mobile-schema.json, scope allow deny, Tauri security, tauri permission denied, capability identifier

When to use:

• Creating or modifying capability files for a Tauri 2 app
• Granting permissions to specific windows or webviews
• Restricting filesystem, HTTP, or shell access with scoped permissions
• Writing custom permissions for your own Tauri commands
• Grouping permissions into permission sets
• Enabling remote domain access to Tauri APIs
• Debugging "permission denied" or "not allowed" runtime errors
• Migrating from the Tauri v1 allowlist to v2 capabilities

When NOT to use:

• Writing Tauri commands or IPC bridge logic (use desktop-framework-tauri)
• Plugin installation and registration (use desktop-framework-tauri)
• Window management, system tray, or menus (use desktop-framework-tauri)
• General Rust programming unrelated to Tauri ACL
• Frontend framework patterns

Key patterns covered:

• Capability file structure and fields (examples/core.md)
• Window-specific and platform-specific capabilities (examples/core.md)
• Scoped permissions with allow/deny lists (examples/core.md)
• Custom permission definitions in TOML (examples/custom-permissions.md)
• Permission sets for grouping related permissions (examples/custom-permissions.md)
• Remote domain access (examples/core.md)
• Debugging permission errors (examples/core.md)
• Migration from v1 allowlist (reference.md)

Detailed resources:

• examples/core.md - Capability files, scoped permissions, window/platform targeting, remote access, debugging
• examples/custom-permissions.md - Custom permission definitions, permission sets, app-level permissions
• reference.md - Permission identifier patterns, path variables, core permissions, v1 migration checklist

---

<philosophy>

Philosophy

Tauri 2 implements a deny-by-default access control model. Every potentially dangerous operation (filesystem, network, shell, clipboard) is blocked until explicitly granted in a capability file. This is a fundamental shift from v1's boolean allowlist -- instead of toggling features on/off globally, you define granular permissions scoped to specific windows, platforms, and paths.

The security hierarchy:

1. Capabilities - Bind permissions to windows/webviews. A window not listed in any capability has zero IPC access.
2. Permissions - Define what operations are allowed or denied. Follow the plugin:command identifier pattern.
3. Scopes - Restrict WHERE operations can act (paths, URLs). Deny always supersedes allow.

Key design decisions:

• Granular, not global -- permissions are per-window, per-platform, per-path
• Deny wins -- if a path is denied by any scope, it is blocked even if allowed by another
• Runtime, not compile-time -- missing permissions cause runtime errors, not build errors. This makes debugging harder but allows dynamic permission resolution.
• Schema-driven -- capability files reference auto-generated schemas (desktop-schema.json, mobile-schema.json) for IDE autocompletion

When to invest in fine-grained capabilities:

• Multi-window apps where windows need different permission levels
• Apps handling sensitive data (credentials, financial records)
• Apps distributed publicly where security posture matters
• Apps with remote content that needs limited API access

When simple capabilities suffice:

• Single-window apps with straightforward needs
• Internal tools where the security boundary is less critical
• Prototypes and MVPs where iteration speed matters more

</philosophy>

---

<patterns>

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: Capability File Structure

Every Tauri 2 app needs at least one capability file in src-tauri/capabilities/. The file grants permissions to specific windows.

{
  "$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
  "identifier": "main-capability",
  "description": "Permissions for the main application window",
  "windows": ["main"],
  "permissions": ["core:default", "event:default", "window:default"]
}

Key fields: identifier (unique name), windows (which windows get these permissions), permissions (what operations are allowed). The $schema field enables IDE autocompletion for available permissions.

Key rule: All capabilities in src-tauri/capabilities/ are auto-enabled unless you explicitly list capabilities in tauri.conf.json's app.security.capabilities array -- in which case only the listed ones are used.

See examples/core.md for all capability fields and patterns.

---

Pattern 2: Scoped Permissions (Allow/Deny)

Restrict plugin operations to specific paths using inline scope objects. Deny always takes precedence.

{
  "identifier": "fs:allow-read-text-file",
  "allow": [{ "path": "$APPDATA/**" }]
}

{
  "identifier": "fs:deny-read-text-file",
  "deny": [{ "path": "$APPDATA/secrets/**" }]
}

Key rule: Deny always supersedes allow. If a path matches both an allow and a deny scope, it is blocked. Use $APPDATA, $HOME, $RESOURCE and other Tauri path variables -- not hardcoded OS paths.

See examples/core.md for filesystem, HTTP, and shell scope patterns.

---

Pattern 3: Window-Specific Capabilities

Different windows get different permission sets. An editor window gets write access; a viewer window gets read-only access.

{
  "identifier": "editor-capability",
  "windows": ["editor"],
  "permissions": ["core:default", "fs:allow-write-text-file"]
}

{
  "identifier": "viewer-capability",
  "windows": ["viewer"],
  "permissions": ["core:default", "fs:allow-read-text-file"]
}

Key rule: A window not listed in any capability's windows array has zero IPC access. Windows listed in multiple capabilities get the merged permissions of all matching capabilities.

See examples/core.md for multi-window and wildcard patterns.

---

Pattern 4: Platform-Specific Capabilities

Use the platforms field to restrict capabilities to specific operating systems.

{
  "identifier": "desktop-features",
  "windows": ["main"],
  "platforms": ["linux", "macOS", "windows"],
  "permissions": ["core:default", "shell:allow-open", "global-shortcut:default"]
}

Key rule: Platform values are "linux", "macOS", "windows", "iOS", "android". Splitting by platform prevents permission errors for platform-specific plugins.

See examples/core.md for mobile-specific capability examples.

---

Pattern 5: Custom Permission Definitions

Define permissions for your own Tauri commands using TOML files in src-tauri/permissions/.

# src-tauri/permissions/default.toml
[default]
description = "Default app permissions"
permissions = ["allow-greet", "allow-get-settings"]

# src-tauri/permissions/admin.toml
[[permission]]
identifier = "allow-admin-ops"
description = "Allow admin operations"
commands.allow = ["reset_database", "export_all_data"]

Key point: Tauri auto-generates allow-* and deny-* permissions for every command registered in generate_handler![]. Custom permission files let you group them and add scopes.

See examples/custom-permissions.md for permission sets and custom scope definitions.

---

Pattern 6: Remote Domain Access

Grant remote web content access to Tauri APIs using the remote field with URL patterns.

{
  "identifier": "remote-api-access",
  "windows": ["main"],
  "remote": {
    "urls": ["https://*.mydomain.dev"]
  },
  "permissions": ["core:default", "notification:default"]
}

Key rule: Remote URLs gain access to the specified Tauri APIs -- understand the security implications. On Linux and Android, Tauri cannot distinguish between iframe requests and window requests, so remote access should be used cautiously on those platforms.

See examples/core.md for remote access patterns and security considerations.

</patterns>

---

<decision_framework>

Decision Framework

What Permissions Does My App Need?

What does the app do?
|-- Reads/writes files?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-fs permissions with path scopes
|-- Makes HTTP requests from Rust backend?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-http permissions with URL scopes
|-- Opens file/folder dialogs?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-dialog permissions
|-- Runs external processes?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-shell permissions (desktop only)
|-- Shows system notifications?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-notification permissions
|-- Uses persistent key-value storage?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-store permissions
+-- Basic app + window lifecycle only?
    +-- core:default is sufficient

How Granular Should Capabilities Be?

How many windows does the app have?
|-- Single window?
|   +-- One capability file with all permissions is fine
|-- Multiple windows with SAME needs?
|   +-- One capability file listing all windows in the array
+-- Multiple windows with DIFFERENT needs?
    +-- Separate capability files per window (principle of least privilege)

Does the app need platform-specific features?
|-- Same features on all platforms?
|   +-- Omit the platforms field
+-- Different features per platform?
    +-- Separate capability files with platforms field

Where to Put the Scope?

Is the scope for a built-in plugin?
|-- YES -> Inline in the capability file permissions array
|           { "identifier": "fs:allow-read-text-file", "allow": [...] }
+-- NO -> Is it for your custom commands?
    |-- YES -> Define in src-tauri/permissions/*.toml
    +-- NO -> It might not need a scope -- simple allow/deny suffices

</decision_framework>

---

<red_flags>

RED FLAGS

High Priority Issues:

• Missing core:default in a capability -- basic app lifecycle commands fail silently
• No capability file at all in src-tauri/capabilities/ -- ALL IPC calls fail at runtime
• Using v1 tauri.allowlist in config -- completely removed in v2, does nothing
• Granting fs:allow-read-text-file without path scope -- allows reading ANY file on the system
• Missing windows array in capability -- permissions apply to no windows (useless capability)

Medium Priority Issues:

• Using wildcard "windows": ["*"] in production -- every window gets these permissions, including dynamic ones
• Not splitting capabilities by platform -- desktop-only plugins (shell, autostart, global-shortcut) cause errors on mobile
• Overly broad HTTP scopes (http:allow-fetch without URL scope) -- allows requests to any URL
• Granting write permissions when only read is needed -- violates least privilege

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting that deny always wins -- adding a deny scope and wondering why the allow scope "doesn't work"
• Using OS paths (/home/user/) instead of Tauri path variables ($HOME/) in scopes
• Expecting compile-time errors for missing permissions -- they are runtime errors only
• Using app.security.capabilities in tauri.conf.json to list some capabilities, then wondering why unlisted capability files are ignored (explicit list overrides auto-discovery)
• Capability identifier containing digits after first character (identifiers are restricted to [a-z] plus hyphens)

Gotchas & Edge Cases:

• Stale ACL in builds: If you add a new permission but the build does not regenerate, the old ACL is embedded. Clean build (cargo clean) or ensure build.rs has cargo:rerun-if-changed for the capabilities directory
• Schema path: The $schema field must point to the correct generated schema (../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json or mobile-schema.json). Run cargo tauri dev once to generate schemas
• Merged capabilities: A window listed in multiple capabilities gets ALL permissions from ALL matching capabilities merged together -- there is no "override" mechanism
• Remote access on Linux/Android: Tauri cannot distinguish iframe requests from window requests on these platforms, making remote domain restrictions less effective
• Permission identifier format: Plugin permissions use plugin:permission-name, app-defined permissions use just permission-name (no prefix). Using the wrong format causes "permission not found" errors
• TOML vs JSON for permissions: Capability files accept JSON or TOML. Custom permission definitions (in src-tauri/permissions/) must be TOML only

</red_flags>

---

<critical_reminders>

CRITICAL REMINDERS

(You MUST create at least one capability file in src-tauri/capabilities/ -- without it, ALL plugin and core API calls fail at runtime)

(You MUST include core:default in every capability -- without it, basic app lifecycle commands fail)

(You MUST scope permissions to specific windows using the windows array -- a window not listed in any capability has zero IPC access)

(You MUST use deny scopes to restrict sensitive paths -- deny ALWAYS takes precedence over allow)

(You MUST use plugin:permission-name format for plugin permissions and plain permission-name for app commands)

Failure to follow these rules will cause silent runtime permission denials that do not surface at compile time.

</critical_reminders>