Safety layer for AI agents

Give AI agents a safer way to touch files on your Mac

Raw shell deletion gives an agent broad power with little durable context. The Direct edition of Mint exposes local MCP tools for storage insight, scans, rules, history, and journaled cleanup so an agent can explain a proposed action, execute through Mint, and return a receipt and batch ID.

What macOS can do on its own

You can build a safer manual protocol without another app, but the protocol must be explicit and consistently enforced.

  1. Grant the agent the narrowest working directory possible and keep code in version control before allowing file changes.
  2. Require a dry-run plan listing exact source paths, intended destinations, reasons, and estimated sizes.
  3. Prefer reversible moves to a dedicated quarantine folder or Trash over recursive permanent deletion.
  4. Write a machine-readable receipt with timestamps and source-to-destination mappings, then have a human review high-impact batches.

When Mint helps

Mint turns that protocol into a local product surface shared by the app, CLI, and MCP server.

  • Start the Direct-edition MCP server with the bundled mint-cli and connect it to an MCP-compatible agent.
  • Let the agent inspect disk trends, explain growth, scan reclaimable categories, view recent activity, and dry-run cleanup rules.
  • Route approved cleanup through Mint instead of raw rm so the response includes the agent’s stated reason, a receipt, and a batch ID.
  • Open the same batch in Mint’s on-device 90-day journal and use Undo while the journal entry and underlying item remain available.

Boundaries and safety checks

A journal improves accountability and recovery; it does not make every agent decision correct.

  • The CLI and MCP server ship only in the Direct edition. They are not included in Mac App Store or Setapp builds.
  • Cleanup defaults to Trash, while permanent deletion requires an explicit request. Review broad rules before execution.
  • Undo is conditional, not a backup. Keep version control and independent backups for valuable or irreplaceable data.

Frequently asked questions

Which Mint editions include MCP?

Only the Direct edition downloaded from the Mint website includes the bundled mint-cli and local MCP server. Mac App Store and Setapp editions do not.

Can an agent permanently delete files through Mint?

Trash is the recommended default. Permanent deletion requires an explicit action and should not be used as a routine automation shortcut.

Does a batch ID guarantee recovery?

No. A batch ID makes the operation traceable in the 90-day journal. Undo still depends on the journal entry and underlying source or trashed item being available.

Run one agent cleanup through a journal

Install the Direct edition, connect the local MCP server, dry-run a narrow rule, and inspect the resulting receipt in Mint.

Download the Direct edition