App install should guide users through required permissions

General
1

Hi Anna team,

I noticed a small but important user experience issue around app installation and permissions.

Right now, after installing an app, the app is not always ready to use immediately. Users may still need to go to Installed Apps → Permissions, then manually select the required permissions for that app.

For example, in the Avalon app, I had to manually enable permissions such as:

  • LLM completions

  • Agent sessions

  • Auto / fixed agent submodes

The problem is that as a user, I often don’t know which permissions I should enable unless I ask the app developer directly. In my case, I had to ask the developer, “Should I select all of these?” and the answer was basically “enable the first one.”

This feels a little unfriendly for end users, especially for non-technical users. From their perspective, they installed an app and expected it to work, but instead they need to discover a separate permissions page and make technical decisions about host APIs.

I think this should probably be handled more by the platform layer, rather than requiring users to figure it out manually.

A few possible improvements:

  1. Show required permissions during install

    When a user installs an app, Anna could show a clear permission request screen based on the app manifest.

  2. Separate required vs optional permissions

    The UI could clearly say which permissions are required for the app to function, and which ones are optional.

  3. Let the app request permissions at the moment of use

    If an app tries to use llm.complete or agent.session, Anna could prompt the user in context:

    “This app needs LLM access to continue. Allow?”

  4. Provide developer-facing permission descriptions

    App developers could define user-friendly explanations for each permission, so users understand why the app needs it.

  5. Avoid showing irrelevant technical options to users

    If a permission is not requested by the app, or if a sub-permission is not needed, it should either be hidden or clearly marked as unnecessary.

Overall, I think permissions are important and should remain explicit, but the current flow puts too much responsibility on the user. The platform should help users understand what an app needs, why it needs it, and how to grant it at the right time.

This would make app installation feel much smoother and would also reduce friction for developers, because users would not need to ask them which permissions to enable.