---
title: "Letting another AI assistant read your storage"
url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/ai-access
category: "Tuhi assistant"
tags: ["ai access", "assistant", "privacy"]
summary: "Turn on Allow local assistant access in Preferences → Connections and an AI assistant on this Mac, such as Claude Desktop, can read your storage status. It is read-only, works only on this Mac, and is off until you turn it on."
updated: 2026-10-01T12:54:25.000Z
---

# Letting another AI assistant read your storage

Turn on Allow local assistant access in Preferences → Connections and an AI assistant on this Mac, such as Claude Desktop, can read your storage status. It is read-only, works only on this Mac, and is off until you turn it on.

If you use an AI assistant app on your Mac, such as Claude Desktop, you can let it read your storage status from Storage Studio — how much space is free, how your backups are doing, what ran recently. It's read-only: the assistant can ask questions but can't move, back up or delete anything. It works only on this Mac and is off until you turn it on in **Preferences** → **Connections**.

This uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a standard way for AI assistants to connect to apps. You don't need to know how it works to use it.

## Turning it on

1. Open **Preferences** and choose **Connections**.
2. Turn on **Allow local assistant access**. The line below it changes to **Running on this Mac, port 8787.** — 8787 is the default port.
3. Under **Who can connect**, keep **Require an access key** selected. It's the recommended choice.
4. Under **Connect Claude Desktop**, click **Copy snippet**.
5. Paste the snippet into your assistant's settings for connected tools (in Claude Desktop, its "MCP servers" settings), then restart the assistant.

You don't paste the access key anywhere. The snippet tells the assistant to start a small helper that comes with Storage Studio, and that helper adds the key for you. Storage Studio needs to be running for the assistant to reach it.

```mermaid
%% caption: How another assistant reads your storage status
flowchart LR
  A[AI assistant app on this Mac] --> B[Storage Studio helper adds the access key]
  B --> C{Storage Studio running and access on?}
  C -->|Yes| D[Read-only answer about your storage]
  C -->|No| E[No answer]
  D --> A
```

*Flowchart — How another assistant reads your storage status. Outline:*

- AI assistant app on this Mac
  - leads to Storage Studio helper adds the access key
- Storage Studio helper adds the access key
  - leads to Storage Studio running and access on?
- Storage Studio running and access on?
  - Yes: leads to Read-only answer about your storage
  - No: leads to No answer
- Read-only answer about your storage
  - leads to AI assistant app on this Mac

## What the assistant can see

- free, used and total space on your Mac and your external drive, and what's using space;
- your [Storage Profile](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/storage-profile) — what kinds of files take the space, how it splits between your Mac, drives and cloud, your largest items, and Storage Studio's suggestions;
- sudden drops in free space and other unusual disk activity Storage Studio noticed, and what's in the notification bell;
- your [Data Backup](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-backup) sets, their health, when they last ran and their saved versions;
- your connected [cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts) — their type and the name you gave them, never passwords or sign-in details — and [the Storage Studio location in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder): whether it's on and which folders it shows;
- your [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers) — each one's status, progress, schedule and, if it failed, why — plus recent transfer totals;
- a summary of background activity, as in [Job Insights](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/background-activity), including any problems it lists;
- the latest [duplicate](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/duplicates) results on your Mac and in your synced and [connected cloud storage](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/duplicates-in-cloud-accounts), with the largest sets;
- apps you've [moved](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/moving-an-app) or [offloaded](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/offloading-an-app) to your drive, and the size and last use of the apps on your Mac;
- folders you've moved to your drive, whether their shortcuts are healthy, and any moves still waiting or that failed;
- whether [Delta Drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-drive) or [My Drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/my-drive) is set up and ready, how much is stored, and your plan's allowance;
- your paired [Bridge devices](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/bridge-devices) and whether each is connected;
- the [Recycle Vault](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/recycle-vault) — how much it holds and its most recent items, with their names, sizes and the folders they came from;
- your automatic move and delete rules, including the folders they watch;
- your support tickets — subject, status and the latest reply;
- the current tip and the [Learning Center](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/learning-center-and-notifications) articles already on your Mac;
- Storage Studio's own built-in help — the same answers [Tuhi](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi) uses — so it can explain how a feature works and where to find it.

It reads what Storage Studio last measured. Asking never starts a scan, so if something hasn't been checked yet, the assistant is told which screen to open. It can't see passwords, access keys, passphrases or sign-in details, and it can't open your files or read your [Junk Yard](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/junk-yard).

## What it can't do

Nothing it asks can change anything. There's no way through this connection to move, back up, restore, delete, run a rule, start a scan or run a transfer again — for that, use [Sync again](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/sync-again) in Data Transfers. For actions, use Storage Studio itself — or ask [Tuhi](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi), which knows the same things and can take you to the right screen.

## Who can connect

| Choice | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| Require an access key | Only apps that present the key can connect. Recommended. |
| Open on this Mac | Any app on this Mac can connect without a key. Use only if your assistant can't send a key. |

Either way, the connection is open only to apps on this Mac. Other computers on your network and the internet can't reach it.

**Regenerate** makes a new access key. Anything using the old key is disconnected and needs connecting again. Keep the key private.

## Turning it off

Turn off **Allow local assistant access**. The status changes to **Off.** and assistants can no longer connect. It stays off until you turn it on again.

## Your privacy

Storage Studio answers the assistant on your Mac and doesn't send these answers anywhere itself. But once your assistant has read them, they're handled by that assistant, which may send them to its own online service. Check the assistant's privacy terms before you turn this on. See [Tuhi runs on your Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi-is-private) for how Tuhi differs.

If the status line says **Couldn't start**, another app may already be using that port. Quit the other app, or restart your Mac, and turn the switch off and on again.

More answers: https://storagestudio.us/faq

See also: [The Preferences window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window) · [Privacy: what stays on your Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/privacy-overview) · [What leaves your Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-leaves-your-mac)

## What links here

- [Demo Mode](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/demo-mode)
- [Legal documents and your consent choices](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/legal-documents-and-consent)
- [Meet Tuhi, your storage assistant](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi)
- [Privacy: what stays on your Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/privacy-overview)
- [The Preferences window](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/preferences-window)
- [Tuhi runs on your Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/tuhi-is-private)
- [What leaves your Mac, and when](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-leaves-your-mac)