Apple will soon require “very explicit user action” before apps can read a user’s full filesystem, messages and browsing history. The company points directly at the risks posed by autonomous AI agents.

The move tightens macOS permissions. Apps that want broad access to personal data will face a much higher bar. Apple calls such access “extraordinary”.

The change follows reports that Meta’s Muse AI accessed iPhone and Mac messages without clear user awareness. A separate vulnerability in the ChatGPT Mac app was also reported by The Verge and TechCrunch.

AI agents are becoming more autonomous. They can read files, browse the web and act across apps. That makes broad permissions far riskier than before.

Reaction among developers is split. Some welcome finer, per-folder controls. Others say Apple is rewriting the basic assumption that software on your own machine can read your disk.

The policy shows how fast AI agents are reshaping platform rules. Control over who can touch your files is now a front line in AI safety.