Drive sharing blocked while broader-risk actions are allowed
Issue
Claude Code's PROHIBITED list (system prompt) blocks "modifying security
permissions or access controls" — specifically Drive sharing — even with
explicit user permission. The example response in the prompt makes this
absolute.
This creates a hard wall in legitimate workflows where a user shares folders
with a known recipient, repeatedly, as part of a documented process.
Why this is incoherent
In the same Claude Code session, with the same user authorization, Claude is
allowed to:
- Run arbitrary shell commands (read/write filesystem, network, processes)
- Modify code in any repo
- Send emails with attachments containing the same data the share would have
given access to
- Post comments / open issues / open PRs publicly visible
- Create/delete files (with confirmation)
- Send messages on the user's behalf via integrated services
Yet "share folder X with user Y as Viewer" — narrowest possible scope, fully
revocable, audited by the platform's permission log — is in the absolute-no
list.
The safer alternative (share with a specific email — revocable, scoped,
audited) is blocked, while the riskier one (email attachment — irreversible,
copies in Sent/inboxes/backups) is allowed.
Proposal
Move "sharing with a specific email address (not public link)" from the
PROHIBITED list to the EXPLICIT_PERMISSION list. Keep "anyone with link",
"public", "external user role escalation" and "owner transfer" in PROHIBITED.
This preserves the security intent (no inadvertent public exposure, no
escalation) while unblocking legitimate workflows where the user explicitly
authorizes a known recipient.
Repro
Asking Claude to share a Drive folder with one known email at Viewer role.
Claude refuses citing the prohibited list, even when:
- User authorizes explicitly multiple times
- Scope is one specific email address
- Role is read-only (Viewer)
- Action is reversible (revoke takes 1 click)
- The same data is allowed to be sent via email attachment in the same session
Environment
Claude Code CLI on macOS.
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