Terminal

The Sidekick Terminal gives the Agent the ability to run shell commands on your system. You have complete control over what commands can run automatically, which require your approval, and which are blocked entirely.

Command Execution Flow

When the Agent wants to run a command, Sidekick checks your rules in this order:

Agent requests command
        ↓
Check Blocklist → If matched: BLOCKED (cannot run)
        ↓
Check Allowlist → If matched: AUTO-RUN (no approval needed)
        ↓
Require Approval → Wait for your confirmation

Command Rules

Allowlist (Auto-Approve)

Commands in the allowlist run immediately without asking for permission. Use this for commands you trust and use frequently.

Examples:

• git — Allows all git commands (git status, git push, git pull, etc.)
• npm test — Allows running tests
• ls — Allows listing directory contents

Blocklist (Always Block)

Commands in the blocklist can never run, even if you try to approve them. Use this for dangerous operations you want to prevent.

Examples:

• rm -rf — Prevents recursive force deletion
• sudo — Blocks elevated privilege commands
• chmod 777 — Prevents insecure permission changes

Unlisted Commands (Manual Approval)

Commands not in either list require your explicit approval before running. This is the default behavior for new commands.

Managing Command Rules

Prefix Matching

Both lists support prefix matching, which means a single entry can cover multiple related commands.

# Development tools
git
npm
pnpm
yarn
cargo
go

# Safe read operations
ls
cat
head
tail
grep
find
pwd

# Build and test
npm test
npm run build
cargo build
cargo test

# Dangerous deletions
rm -rf /
rm -rf ~
rm -rf /*

# System modifications
sudo
su
chmod 777
chown

# Network risks
curl | bash
wget | bash
nc -l

# Environment
export PATH=
unset PATH

Approving Commands

When the Agent requests an unlisted command, an approval dialog appears:

Approval Options

Background Execution

Long-running commands (servers, builds, watchers) run in background mode:

1. Command starts and returns after 3 seconds
2. Agent continues without waiting for completion
3. Output streams in real-time to the terminal
4. Stop button appears to kill the process

Managing Background Processes

• Click the Stop button next to any running background command
• The process is killed and marked as stopped
• You can clear completed commands with the Clear button

Recommended Setup

For New Users

Start with a minimal allowlist and add commands as you use them:

# Allowlist - Safe defaults
git
ls
pwd
cat

# Blocklist - Dangerous patterns
rm -rf /
rm -rf ~
sudo rm
chmod 777

For Development

Common development workflow allowlist:

# Version control
git

# Package managers
npm
pnpm
yarn

# Build tools
cargo
go
make

# Testing
npm test
npm run test
cargo test
pytest
jest

For Production Caution

If working with sensitive systems, keep the allowlist minimal:

# Allowlist - Read-only
git status
git diff
git log
ls
cat
grep

# Blocklist - Prevent modifications
git push
git commit
rm
mv
cp
touch
mkdir

Best Practices

Allowlist Strategy

• Start restrictive — Add commands as you need them
• Use prefixes wisely — git is convenient but allows all git operations
• Be specific when needed — npm test is safer than just npm

Blocklist Strategy

• Block patterns, not just commands — rm -rf catches variations
• Include dangerous flags — chmod 777, rm -f
• Consider piped commands — curl | bash can execute arbitrary code

Approval Workflow

• Review before approving — Read the full command in the tooltip
• Use "Run & Add" for trusted tools — Saves time on repeat commands
• Skip suspicious commands — When in doubt, don't run it