Solo developers rely on AI agents more heavily than anyone — there is no teammate to catch mistakes, no security team to audit behavior, and no one else to recover from a destructive agent action. SafeClaw by Authensor provides deny-by-default action gating with near-zero configuration overhead: a single YAML file controls what your agent can and cannot do, and a hash-chained audit trail records everything. Install with npx @authensor/safeclaw and have protection in 60 seconds.

Why Solo Developers Need Agent Safety Most

When you work alone, AI agents become your most productive collaborator. But they are also your biggest risk multiplier:

• No code review — there is no second pair of eyes to catch an agent writing destructive code or modifying critical files
• No backup engineer — if an agent corrupts your database, deletes files, or pushes broken code, you are the only person who can fix it
• Personal and client data on one machine — solo developers often keep multiple client projects, personal SSH keys, and cloud credentials on the same machine the agent accesses
• No incident response plan — enterprises have playbooks; solo developers have "hope it works"
• Maximum surface area — you use AI agents for everything: frontend, backend, DevOps, database, deployment. Each domain has its own risk profile.

Solo Developer SafeClaw Policy

This policy balances protection with productivity for a one-person team:

# safeclaw.yaml — solo developer policy
version: 1
default: deny

rules:
  # Code access
  - action: file_read
    path: "*/.{ts,tsx,js,jsx,py,go,rs}"
    decision: allow
    reason: "Source files are readable"

- action: file_read
    path: "*/.{json,yaml,yml,toml}"
    decision: allow
    reason: "Config files are readable"

- action: file_write
    path: "src/**"
    decision: prompt
    reason: "Review code changes"

- action: file_write
    path: "tests/**"
    decision: allow
    reason: "Test generation is safe"

# Protection zone
  - action: file_read
    path: "*/.env"
    decision: deny
    reason: "Environment secrets blocked"

- action: file_read
    path: "~/.ssh/**"
    decision: deny
    reason: "SSH keys blocked"

- action: file_read
    path: "~/.aws/**"
    decision: deny
    reason: "AWS credentials blocked"

- action: file_write
    path: "*/.env"
    decision: deny
    reason: "Never write to env files"

# Shell controls
  - action: shell_execute
    command: "npm test"
    decision: allow
    reason: "Tests are safe"

- action: shell_execute
    command: "npm run *"
    decision: prompt
    reason: "Review npm scripts"

- action: shell_execute
    command: "rm *"
    decision: deny
    reason: "No deletions"

- action: shell_execute
    command: "sudo *"
    decision: deny
    reason: "No privilege escalation"

- action: shell_execute
    command: "git push*"
    decision: prompt
    reason: "Review before pushing"

- action: network_request
    destination: "*"
    decision: deny
    reason: "No outbound network"

The key insight for solo developers is that decision: prompt is your code review substitute. When SafeClaw prompts you before an agent writes code, that forced pause serves the same function as a teammate reviewing a PR.

The Audit Trail as Your Safety Net

SafeClaw's hash-chained audit log is especially valuable for solo developers because it provides a complete timeline of agent actions. If something goes wrong — a file was modified unexpectedly, a command ran that you did not intend — the audit log tells you exactly what happened and when. Each entry is cryptographically linked to the previous one, so the log cannot be tampered with by a compromised agent.

Zero Overhead for One Person

SafeClaw was designed for minimal configuration burden:

• One file — a single safeclaw.yaml per project
• One command — npx @authensor/safeclaw to install
• Zero dependencies — nothing else to install, configure, or maintain
• Zero cost — MIT-licensed, no subscription
• Provider-agnostic — works with Claude and OpenAI

Related pages:

• AI Agent Safety for Freelance Developers
• SafeClaw Quickstart in 60 Seconds
• How to Prevent Agent File Deletion
• Deny-by-Default Explained