Simplify command denylist/whitelist, make them useful and clear how they work

Feature Requests
1

I don’t know how they work and couldn’t find out How does command allowlist/denylist really work? - #5

tl;dr Here’s a refined proposal for a better Cursor command allowlist/denylist system, structured clearly for feedback or discussion:

  1. Add simple wildcard matcher like grep *
  2. First run command throu the denylist matchers
  3. Then run it through whitelist matcher

Give fine-grained control to power users instead of the current blckbox logic that yields different result in different chats for unknown reasons.

Here is a GPT refined description:

:white_check_mark: Goal

Make Cursor commands predictable and transparent by replacing black-box behavior with user-controllable matching logic.

:wrench: Proposed Matching Logic

A simple and powerful 3-step recipe to process command execution permissions:

1. Add Simple Wildcard Matchers

Support shell-like pattern matchers (e.g. *, ?) similar to how grep or .gitignore works.

  • Example patterns:
    • rm *
    • docker compose *
    • git push origin main

This allows intuitive, broad or narrow command patterning.

2. Run Through Denylist First

  • If the command matches any denylist pattern , it is rejected immediately .
  • Use cases:
    • Prevent rm *
    • Block risky patterns like curl * | sh
    • Disable all unknown bash functions with a pattern like bash *

This gives users a first line of defense against harmful commands.

3. Then Run Through Allowlist

  • If the command is not denied, then check whether it matches any allowlist pattern.
  • If it matches → allow execution.
  • If not → deny by default .

This makes the system explicitly opt-in for commands, enabling:

  • Fine-grained permission control
  • Clear developer intent
  • Reduced surprises across chats

:brain: Why This Is Better

  • Predictable: Order of operations is consistent and transparent.
  • Debuggable: Power users can see why a command passed or failed.
  • Customizable: Tailor patterns to your workflow or team policy.
  • Consistent: Eliminates inconsistent behavior across chats/sessions.

:memo: Example

denylist:
  - "rm *"
  - "curl * | sh"

allowlist:
  - "git *"
  - "ls *"
  - "docker compose *"

Result:

  • :white_check_mark: git push origin main → allowed
  • :cross_mark: rm -rf . → blocked by denylist
  • :cross_mark: docker system prune → not allowed (not on allowlist)
  • :white_check_mark: docker compose up → allowed

:puzzle_piece: Final Note

Power users will always want control. Give them a clear, composable mechanism instead of opaque rules that differ per chat.

This system is simple to understand, yet expressive enough for real-world use.

2

agreed, i still dont understand if even possible to for example deny all commands or what if i dont put in anything in both fields?

3

I think you can disable the commands - it was the YOLO mode. I don’t even want to test it.

I have an enormous list of whitelist commands and a small list of deny commands, and it sometimes works.

Sometimes I have to be approving all whitelisted commands no matter what I put there, and occasionally it will run through deny commands (although this is thankfully rare, but I also include deny ones in rules and many other places lol).

It’s a freaking blackbox that no one knows how it works :man_shrugging:t2:

4

i tested it and it does not seem to work, that is the problem..