Local security configuration

Security controls an individual user sets directly from the chatbox — approval mode, screen context, and execution mode — plus OS-level permissions and advanced security settings.

This page covers the security controls you set yourself, as an individual user, starting with the three controls available directly from the chatbox.

Security checklist

These are the main tasks to configure Delegate locally, in order:

• Set approval mode, screen context, and execution mode from the chatbox
• Review advanced security settings — fine-grained Allow/Ask/Block control over tools, terminal and files, protected files, and UI automation
• Choose your conversation storage mode
• Verify OS-level permissions
• Review installed skills' requirements against your setup for compatibility
• Know how to interrupt or stop Delegate (Escape key)

Approval mode

Set from the mode selector next to the chatbox, and applies to all chats:

Mode	Behavior
Cautious	Asks for all operations; strict process isolation with allowlist-only access
Balanced (recommended)	Runs safe tools automatically; asks before high-impact operations; protects credentials and sensitive files
Autonomous	Full system access, no prompts

Approval mode sets the defaults for the granular, per-tool, per-file, and per-app/site controls — tool permissions, terminal and files, protected files, and UI automation — described in Security settings reference.

Computer use settings

Screen context and execution mode both govern Delegate's computer use — what it can see, and how it acts on your screen.

Screen context

Governs what Delegate can see. Set from the screen icon next to the chatbox:

Option	What Delegate sees
Default	Only the apps attached to the current chat
All apps	Every visible app
None	Nothing — Delegate can ask you to turn it on when it needs to

The chatbox also shows which apps are currently attached to the chat, since Delegate only sees what's listed there when capturing your screen.

First message of each turn

A related setting under Settings → General → General:

In Default mode, each user message gets one full-screen capture so "do this for me" works on cold start. Subsequent turns within the turn mask to attached apps. On by default.

Execution mode

Governs how Delegate acts — whether it takes over your screen or works without touching it. Set from the computer icon next to the chatbox:

Mode	Behavior
Autonomous	Takes over your screen to perform actions; only asks for approval when security policy requires it
Guided	Takes over your screen to perform actions; asks for your approval before interacting with each app
Offscreen	Works in its own environment without taking over your screen — you keep working, and it notifies you when it needs input

Offscreen expands into three sub-modes:

Sub-mode	Behavior
Local (new session)	Creates a separate Windows session via RDP (requires setup)
Web only	Runs browser tasks in a minimized window via CDP — parallel-friendly for browser work
Native Background	Runs web and desktop tasks together in the background

A separate Always plan before toggle, next to execution mode, has Delegate review its plan with you before executing the task — this may consume more token units.

For Autonomous and Guided mode, where Delegate takes over your screen, two auto-minimize settings keep it out of the way while it works:

Setting	Default	What it does
Enable Auto-Minimize	On	Minimize the Delegate window during UI automation
Maximize Target App	On	Bring the target application to full screen during automation

For the Web only and Native Background sub-modes, you can select which named browser profile to use — this determines which cookies, logins, and extensions are available.

Advanced security settings

Beyond approval mode, Settings → Security holds four areas of fine-grained, per-tool, per-file, and per-app/site controls:

Area	Covers
Tool permissions	Allow, Ask, or Block for individual tools, connectors, and operations
Terminal and files	The shell command sandbox, its allowed paths, capabilities, and blocked commands
Protected files	Files Delegate needs approval to access — secrets, keys, cloud credentials, config, and data files
UI automation	Trusted and blocked apps and websites

See Security settings reference for the full breakdown of each.

Conversation storage

A user-selectable, security-relevant setting that lives outside Settings → Security: New tasks, under Settings → General → General.

Mode	Behavior
Local	Chat history stays on the device only (SQLite).
Remote	A PostgreSQL database stores chat session metadata, message content, delegation requests, user settings, daily usage, and product settings.

Message content, including attachments and screen context screenshots, transits the UiPath backend for inference regardless of storage mode, but is not persisted server-side in Local mode.

OS-level permissions

Beyond approval mode, screen context, and execution mode, the operating system controls what Delegate can do — and always takes precedence: if macOS or Windows denies a permission, Delegate cannot do that thing regardless of what you have set above.

macOS permissions

The following table lists the permissions Delegate requires on macOS.

Permission	Where to Grant	What It Enables
Screen Recording	System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording	Delegate can see your screen for context
Accessibility	System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility	Delegate can click, type, and control applications
Files and Folders	Granted per-folder when first accessed	Reading and writing specific directories
Microphone	System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone	Voice input (optional)

To revoke: Go to the same settings and uncheck Delegate. The app will continue to work but with reduced capabilities.

Windows permissions

The following table lists the permissions Delegate requires on Windows.

Permission	Where to Grant	What It Enables
UI Automation	User Account Control during install	Controlling applications
File System	Standard user permissions	Reading/writing files in accessible locations
Network	Windows Firewall (if prompted)	Web access, cloud integrations

Note:

On Windows, running as Administrator grants broader access but is not required for normal operation, and prevents Delegate from driving applications you have launched as administrator.