Tauri Permissions Configuration
This skill covers the Tauri v2 permission system for controlling frontend access to backend commands and system resources.
Permission System Overview
Permissions in Tauri are explicit privileges that grant or deny access to specific commands. They form the security boundary between frontend code and system resources.
Core Components Component Purpose Permission Defines access to specific commands Scope Restricts commands to specific paths/resources Capability Links permissions to windows/webviews Identifier Unique name referencing a permission Security Model Frontend code cannot access commands without explicit permission Deny rules always take precedence over allow rules Permissions must be linked to capabilities to be active Each window/webview can have different permissions Permission Identifiers Naming Convention
Format:
Pattern Example Description
Plugin Structure tauri-plugin-example/ ├── permissions/ │ ├── default.toml # Default permission set │ ├── autogenerated/ # Auto-generated from commands │ │ └── commands/ │ └── custom-scope.toml # Custom scopes └── src/ ├── commands.rs └── build.rs
Capability Configuration
Capabilities link permissions to windows and define what frontend contexts can access.
JSON Format (Recommended for Apps) { "$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json", "identifier": "main-capability", "description": "Main window permissions", "windows": ["main"], "permissions": [ "core:default", "fs:default", "fs:allow-read-text-file", { "identifier": "fs:allow-write-text-file", "allow": [{ "path": "$APPDATA/*" }] } ] }
TOML Format "$schema" = "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json" identifier = "main-capability" description = "Main window permissions" windows = ["main"] permissions = [ "core:default", "fs:default", "fs:allow-read-text-file" ]
[[ permissions ]] identifier = "fs:allow-write-text-file" allow = [{ path = "$APPDATA/*" }]
Window Targeting { "identifier": "admin-capability", "windows": ["admin", "settings"], "permissions": ["fs:allow-write-all"] }
Use "*" to target all windows:
{ "windows": ["*"], "permissions": ["core:default"] }
Platform-Specific Capabilities { "identifier": "desktop-capability", "platforms": ["linux", "macOS", "windows"], "windows": ["main"], "permissions": ["fs:allow-app-read-recursive"] }
{ "identifier": "mobile-capability", "platforms": ["iOS", "android"], "windows": ["main"], "permissions": ["fs:allow-app-read"] }
Allow and Deny Lists Basic Scope Configuration { "identifier": "fs:allow-read-file", "allow": [ { "path": "$HOME/Documents/" }, { "path": "$APPDATA/" } ], "deny": [ { "path": "$HOME/Documents/secrets/" } ] }
Scope Variables Variable Description $APP Application install directory $APPCONFIG App config directory $APPDATA App data directory $APPLOCALDATA App local data directory $APPCACHE App cache directory $APPLOG App log directory $HOME User home directory $DESKTOP Desktop directory $DOCUMENT Documents directory $DOWNLOAD Downloads directory $RESOURCE App resource directory $TEMP Temporary directory Glob Patterns Pattern Matches * Any file in directory ** Recursive (all subdirectories) *.txt Files with .txt extension Deny Precedence
Deny rules always override allow rules:
{ "permissions": [ { "identifier": "fs:allow-read-file", "allow": [{ "path": "$HOME/" }], "deny": [{ "path": "$HOME/.ssh/" }] } ] }
Plugin Permissions Using Default Plugin Permissions { "permissions": [ "fs:default", "shell:default", "http:default", "dialog:default" ] }
Common Plugin Permission Patterns Filesystem Plugin { "permissions": [ "fs:default", "fs:allow-read-text-file", "fs:allow-write-text-file", "fs:allow-app-read-recursive", "fs:allow-app-write-recursive", "fs:deny-default" ] }
HTTP Plugin { "permissions": [ "http:default", { "identifier": "http:default", "allow": [{ "url": "https://api.example.com/" }], "deny": [{ "url": "https://api.example.com/admin/" }] } ] }
Shell Plugin { "permissions": [ "shell:allow-open", { "identifier": "shell:allow-execute", "allow": [ { "name": "git", "cmd": "git", "args": true } ] } ] }
Directory-Specific Filesystem Permissions Permission Access fs:allow-appdata-read Read $APPDATA (non-recursive) fs:allow-appdata-read-recursive Read $APPDATA (recursive) fs:allow-appdata-write Write $APPDATA (non-recursive) fs:allow-appdata-write-recursive Write $APPDATA (recursive) fs:allow-home-read-recursive Read $HOME (recursive) fs:allow-temp-write Write to temp directory Custom Permission Definition TOML Permission File
Create src-tauri/permissions/my-permission.toml:
[[ permission ]] identifier = "my-app:config-access" description = "Access to app configuration files" commands.allow = ["read_config", "write_config"]
[[ scope.allow ]] path = "$APPCONFIG/*"
[[ scope.deny ]] path = "$APPCONFIG/secrets.json"
Permission Sets
Group multiple permissions:
[[ set ]] identifier = "my-app:full-access" description = "Full application access" permissions = [ "my-app:config-access", "fs:allow-app-read-recursive", "fs:allow-app-write-recursive" ]
Auto-Generated Command Permissions
In plugin src/build.rs:
const COMMANDS: &[&str] = &["get_user", "save_user", "delete_user"];
fn main() { tauri_plugin::Builder::new(COMMANDS) .build(); }
This generates:
allow-get-user / deny-get-user allow-save-user / deny-save-user allow-delete-user / deny-delete-user Default Permission Set
Create permissions/default.toml:
[ default ] description = "Default permissions for my-plugin" permissions = [ "allow-get-user", "allow-save-user" ]
Remote Access Configuration
Allow remote URLs to access Tauri APIs (use with caution):
{ "identifier": "remote-capability", "windows": ["main"], "remote": { "urls": ["https://*.myapp.com"] }, "permissions": [ "core:default" ] }
Security Warning: Linux and Android cannot distinguish iframe requests from window requests.
Configuration in tauri.conf.json
Reference capabilities by identifier:
{ "app": { "security": { "capabilities": ["main-capability", "admin-capability"] } } }
Or inline capabilities directly:
{ "app": { "security": { "capabilities": [ { "identifier": "inline-capability", "windows": ["*"], "permissions": ["core:default"] } ] } } }
Troubleshooting Common Errors
"Not allowed on this command"
Verify command permission is in capability Check scope includes the target path Ensure capability targets correct window
Permission not found
Check identifier spelling (lowercase only) Verify plugin is installed Run cargo build to regenerate permissions Debugging Permissions Check generated schema: src-tauri/gen/schemas/ Review capability files load correctly Verify window names match capability targets Check deny rules are not blocking access Best Practices Principle of Least Privilege: Only grant permissions actually needed Use Specific Scopes: Prefer $APPDATA/ over $HOME/* Deny Sensitive Paths: Always deny access to .ssh, credentials, etc. Separate Capabilities: Use different capabilities for different window types Document Custom Permissions: Include clear descriptions Review Plugin Defaults: Understand what default permissions grant Platform-Specific Config: Use platform targeting for OS-specific needs