Getting started
macOS permissions
What each prompt is asking, what Tusk does with the access, and how to fix it later if you said no.
macOS asks for explicit permission before any app can read files in common folders like Documents, Downloads, and Desktop. This is part of Apple's TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) framework. Without permission, Tusk literally cannot see the files in those folders, even if you point it at them in the project picker.
The first-launch welcome flow walks through this in plain language and triggers the prompts for you. If you skipped that, or if you want to know what each prompt actually unlocks, this page is for you.
Screenshot
Step 2 of the Tusk welcome modal, the 'Allow file access' screen. Show the explanation text, the 'Grant access' button, and the checklist of folders (Documents, Downloads, Desktop, Pictures, Movies).
alt: The first-launch permissions screen explaining the macOS prompts
What Tusk asks for and why
You'll see a separate permission prompt for each folder Tusk needs to read or write. Each prompt is its own decision; you can accept some and deny others.
- Documents: lets Tusk track project folders that live under
~/Documents. Most photo and video projects do. - Downloads: needed if you ever store project material in Downloads, even temporarily.
- Desktop: same idea. Most users don't actively store project files on the Desktop, but the access is needed if you ever drag a folder picker through it.
- Pictures: where Lightroom catalogs and most photo libraries live by default. Photographers should grant this.
- Movies: where Premiere, Final Cut, and DaVinci Resolve put project files by default. Videographers should grant this.
- Removable volumes: macOS prompts the first time Tusk tries to read from an external drive or SD card. Grant this for offload to work.
- Network volumes: NAS shares mounted via SMB or AFP. Grant this if you back up to a network drive.
- Full Disk Access(optional): grants Tusk read access to areas like protected system folders. Tusk doesn't need this for normal use, but it's the simplest single switch if you want to grant everything at once.
Don't grant Full Disk Access unless you understand it
If you said no by mistake
Permissions are remembered until you change them. Reopening the prompt isn't a thing macOS supports, but you can fix any permission from System Settings.
1
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
From the Apple menu in the top-left of your screen, choose System Settings, then Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
2
Find the permission category you want to fix
For each folder Tusk needs, there's a category in this list: Files and Folders (the per-folder permissions), Removable Volumes, Network Volumes, and (if relevant) Full Disk Access.
3
Toggle Tusk on for the folders you want it to access
Click the category, find Tusk in the list, and toggle the access on. macOS may ask you to authenticate with Touch ID or your password.
4
Restart Tusk for permission changes to apply
Quit Tusk fully (right-click the menu bar icon > Quit) and relaunch it from Applications. Permission changes take effect on launch.
Screenshot
System Settings > Privacy & Security > Files and Folders. Show Tusk in the list with a few of its folder permissions toggled on (Documents, Downloads, Desktop).
alt: macOS Privacy & Security settings showing Files and Folders for Tusk
What “denied” looks like inside Tusk
If Tusk doesn't have access to a folder you point it at, the project picker either won't see the folder or will show it as empty. The folder is also a candidate for the “Folder missing” banner once a project is created against it. Granting the permission and restarting Tusk fixes both.
Removable drives and SD cards
The first time you plug in an external drive or SD card and ask Tusk to read from it, macOS prompts for removable-volume access. Grant it once and it applies to every removable drive going forward. If you originally said no, fix it under Privacy & Security → Files and Folders → Tusk → Removable Volumes the same way as the standard folders above.
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