Files, email & systems
Point Harness at what a routine actually needs: a folder, a mailbox, a database, an API. Each connection is granted on its own and can be revoked on its own.
Overview
What this covers
Local files and network shares, mailboxes, databases and HTTP APIs — how each is connected, what read and write mean in practice, and where outbound sending sits in the approval policy.
How it works
How it works
Every connection is a capability with a target and a level:
- Read lets a routine take what it needs from that one source.
- Write lets it change or create something there, and is granted separately.
- Send — outbound mail or messages — always sits behind an approval gate, whatever else is granted.
Harness runs on your PC under a Windows account, so it can only reach what that account can reach. A capability narrows access; it never widens it beyond what the operating system already allows.
Step by step
Step by step
- List the sources the routine truly touches — usually fewer than expected.
- Connect one, with read access, and test that the routine can see it.
- Add write access only where the routine has to change something.
- Connect the mailbox last, and confirm sending is covered by the approval policy.
- Run the routine end to end and check the audit trail for what it read.
- Revoke anything that turned out to be unnecessary.
Common problems
Common problems
- Path or permission errors. The Windows account running Harness lacks access to that share. Fix it at the OS level first.
- The mailbox refuses the connection. Most providers need an app password or an OAuth grant rather than the normal password.
- An API stopped returning what it used to. The schema changed. Update the routine description and re-test.
- A file was locked. Something else had it open. Schedule the routine outside working hours or write to a new file.
Related
Licence, updates and machines
One licence per PC — here is how activation and updates work.