How it gets overlooked
A routine coding task turns into a command that asks for elevated privileges. That may be necessary. It may also be more access than the task deserves. The moment the command changes is worth seeing.
An agent troubleshooting a missing dependency reaches for sudo. In a long session, that request can sit between ordinary checks and installation output. If you only review the final result, you may never notice the attempted change in authority.
What ClawMetry detects
ClawMetry recognizes privilege related patterns in captured tool arguments. A sudo command can raise a privilege change warning. The finding gives you a reason to review the attempted action in the context of the task.
The difference that changes the finding
Triggering example
sudo apt-get install jq
Warning finding
Quiet comparison
git status
No finding for this detector.
The checked example uses a sudo package installation command and raises a warning. An ordinary Git status command stays quiet. The signal concerns the command that was observed. It does not establish that the privilege request succeeded.
Inspect the detector result
{
"kind": "privilege_change",
"severity": "warning",
"evidence": {
"patterns": [
"ran a command as root"
],
"matches": 1,
"irreversible": [],
"command_sketch": "sudo apt-get",
"observed": "tool_arguments"
}
}How the example was checked
These examples evaluate the published detector with authored event data or disposable configuration files. The videos illustrate those behaviors. They are not recordings of live agents or the product interface. No command in the examples was executed.
The result establishes behavior for these inputs. It does not establish runtime ingestion, prevention or a real compromise. Inspect the pinned source contract.
What to check next
Check whether elevated access was actually needed. Inspect the target, the command and any approval involved. Prefer the narrowest access that completes the task, and verify the result using the runtime and system evidence available to you.
- Check why access is needed
- Inspect target and approval
- Verify the resulting state
What this signal establishes
This detector reads recorded commands, not resulting operating-system privileges. It does not itself deny elevation.