Consent & runtime control

Reading telemetry is harmless. Driving the page (page.click, page.type, page.evaluate, …) is not — so in 4.0 control commands run behind a consent gate. This page covers the app-level default and the user's runtime opt-in that sits on top of it.

The default is deny

In 4.0 the secure default flipped: control commands are rejected unless someone opts in. An app declares its default with the consent option on the build plugin / <HarnessScript>:

Mode	Behaviour
deny (default)	All control commands rejected immediately — no prompt.
off	No prompt; control runs freely. Loopback / solo dev convenience.
session	Ask the user once per page-load, then remember for the session.
always	Prompt before every control command.

harnessFE({ projectId: 'my-app', consent: 'off' })       // solo: run freely
harnessFE({ projectId: 'my-app', consent: 'session' })   // ask once per load

page.evaluate (arbitrary JS) always prompts, regardless of mode.

In governed team mode, the gateway forces session for its peers, so a shared deployment never silently allows control.

Runtime opt-in (the user's final say)

The app default is just a default. The end-user can allow or block agent control for an app directly from the in-page overlay — a one-tap toggle in the info card. Their choice is persisted in localStorage (__hfe_runtime_control__:{projectId}) and overrides the app default and the gateway default.

This closes the gap where a user had no way to refuse: even if an app ships consent: 'off', the user can flip control off and it stays off across reloads.

Programmatic access (e.g. to build your own toggle):

window.HarnessFE.getRuntimeControl()        // 'allow' | 'ask' | 'deny'
window.HarnessFE.setRuntimeControl('deny')  // persist + re-gate immediately

Resolution order

The effective gate is resolved highest-priority first:

user choice (localStorage)  →  app `consent` option  →  gateway default  →  deny

So: a user deny always wins; otherwise the app's consent decides; otherwise the governed gateway's mode; otherwise the secure deny fallback.

A future runtimeControl: { scopes } option will let an app additionally declare which capabilities an agent may use (e.g. read-only, no evaluate) — a dimension consent alone can't express. See the per-app control policy design.