Access And Approvals

Gateway has two separate safety layers: which external messages may enter DuckAgent, and who can approve risky actions after a message has entered.

Access fields

Common channel fields include:

Field	Purpose
`allowed_users`	Sender ids that may use the channel.
`allowed_chats`	Group, room, channel, topic, or conversation ids that may route to DuckAgent.
`dm_access`	Direct-message access mode.
`group_access`	Group or channel access mode.
`require_mention`	Require a mention or wake pattern in noisy rooms.
`pairing`	Require owner approval before unknown users can chat.

Direct-message modes

Mode	Meaning
`open`	Reachable DM users can enter DuckAgent.
`allowlist`	Only `allowed_users` can enter.
`pairing`	Unknown DM users receive a one-time pairing code that must be approved.
`disabled`	DMs do not enter DuckAgent.

Publicly reachable channels should prefer pairing or allowlist.

Group modes

Mode	Meaning
`mention`	Messages require a bot mention or wake pattern.
`open`	Group messages enter by default.
`allowlist`	Only `allowed_chats` can enter.
`disabled`	Group messages do not enter DuckAgent.

Mention gating reduces noise. It is not a security boundary by itself.

Approval commands

When a tool needs approval, Gateway prefers native buttons, cards, or interaction callbacks. If a platform cannot provide that, users can send text commands:

/approve
/approve all
/approve <approval-id>
/deny
/deny all
/deny <approval-id>

If the current chat has pending approvals and the user sends a normal new message, DuckAgent denies the pending approvals for that route before treating the message as new input.

Channel adapters translate platform-specific interactions into these shared approval commands. Gateway core owns matching, state updates, and policy decisions.