Summary

Add denylist support to exec-approvals, complementing the existing allowlist. This enables "allow everything except X" policies.

Use Case

I want to:

• Allow all commands to run without prompts
• Except block/prompt for specific dangerous commands like:
  • gog gmail send (sending emails)
  • gog gmail delete (deleting emails)
  • beeper-send.sh (sending messages)

Currently, exec-approvals only supports:

• security: "deny" - block all
• security: "allowlist" - allow only listed commands
• security: "full" - allow everything

There's no way to say "allow everything except these specific patterns."

Proposed Solution

Add a denylist array to exec-approvals config:

{
  "defaults": {
    "security": "denylist",
    "ask": "on-match",
    "denylist": [
      {
        "id": "DENY-EMAIL-SEND",
        "pattern": "/opt/homebrew/bin/gog",
        "argsMatch": "gmail send",
        "reason": "Sending emails requires approval"
      },
      {
        "id": "DENY-EMAIL-DELETE",
        "pattern": "/opt/homebrew/bin/gog", 
        "argsMatch": "gmail delete",
        "reason": "Use 'gmail archive' instead"
      },
      {
        "id": "DENY-BEEPER-SEND",
        "pattern": "*/beeper-send.sh",
        "reason": "Sending messages requires approval"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Key additions:

• security: "denylist" mode - allow everything except matches
• argsMatch field - match against command arguments, not just binary path
• ask: "on-match" - prompt when denylist matches (vs blocking outright)

Current Workarounds

1. Use security: "full" and hope agent guardrails work (unreliable)
2. Use security: "allowlist" with a massive list of safe commands (tedious)
3. Create wrapper scripts (fragile)

Environment

• OpenClaw 2026.1.30
• macOS