Ask HN: How to limit AI coding tools access to the file system?

Hello HN, is there a way to prevent AI coding tools like Cursor and Claude Code from having access to the whole file system, and limit them to the project directory?

I am asking as someone who works for many clients and on their own projects on the same computer and who is still hesitating to install these tools.

2 points | by zzabc 5 hours ago

2 comments

  • benoau 5 hours ago
    You could use a separate, limited user account for each project.

    You could also confine them to containers pretty easily, VSCode has some solid extensions for SSH and container-based development.

  • dtagames 3 hours ago
    I have never seen Cursor reach outside the open repo unless you ask it to.