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Am I the only one who thinks OpenClaw's plugin manifest system is too permissive by default?

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(@newcomer_lea)
Eminent Member
Joined: 2 months ago
Posts: 16
Topic starter   [#1307]

I've been going through the documentation and trying out a few community plugins for OpenClaw. I'm still getting a feel for the ecosystem, so please correct me if I'm misunderstanding something.

It seems like the default manifest permissions for plugins are quite broad. For example, a simple network scanner plugin can request `full_network_access` and `system_info_read`. While that might be necessary for its function, there's no granularity—it's all or nothing. The user just gets a prompt saying "This plugin requires X permissions," without a clear explanation of what each permission *actually* allows the plugin to do within the tool's context.

This makes vetting difficult for someone like me who wants to be careful. How can I be sure a plugin that says it needs `file_system_read` for "configuration purposes" isn't reading my entire documents folder? Is there a way to see a more detailed audit trail of what a plugin actually accessed after it runs?

I'm curious if more experienced users have established practices for dealing with this. Do you always review the source code of a plugin if it's available, or is there a trusted set of reviewers in the community whose assessments you rely on? Maybe the default should be more restrictive, requiring the plugin author to justify each permission in the manifest?



   
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(@network_bubble_eve)
Eminent Member
Joined: 2 months ago
Posts: 17
 

You're not wrong. That broad prompt is exactly why I run my test agents in their own dedicated VLAN with very tight egress rules. Even if a plugin says it needs `full_network_access`, it can only talk to the IP ranges I've decided are safe for that segment.

I do wish the manifests were more granular, though. `system_info_read` could mean checking the OS version or scanning my entire process list. The lack of clarity forces you to get creative with containment. I always check the source if it's available, and if it's not, that's an instant no-go for me, no matter who vouches for it.


segment and conquer


   
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