You started the session in the frontend and asked the agent to fix an API call. The problem is that the endpoint lives in another repository, one folder up, and the agent can't reach it. Verboo Code's /add-dir fixes that: it grants the session access to an extra folder, without closing everything and reopening from a parent directory.
What does /add-dir do in Verboo Code?
It adds a folder to the session's list of working directories. From then on, the file read and edit tools also apply to it, and the sandbox configuration is refreshed immediately so terminal commands can see the new folder.
By default, Verboo Code only touches the directory where you started the session. That is on purpose: it limits the agent's blast radius. /add-dir is the explicit way to widen that boundary, one folder at a time.
How do I give the agent access to another folder, step by step?
Inside the session, pass the folder path. Relative, absolute and ~ paths all work:
/add-dir ../apiThe CLI checks that the path exists and is a directory. If it is, it opens the Add directory to workspace dialog with three options:
| Option | What happens | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
Yes, for this session | Grants access until you exit the session | One-off change in another repository |
Yes, and remember this directory | Grants access now and saves it to the current project's .verboo/settings.local.json | A folder you always use alongside, like a shared package |
No | Grants nothing | You typed the wrong path |
Once confirmed, the reply is Added /home/you/projects/api as a working directory for this session · /permissions to manage. Without an argument, /add-dir opens an input field for the path, with Tab to autocomplete.
How do I start a session with the folders already allowed?
Use the --add-dir flag at startup. It accepts more than one folder:
verboo --add-dir ../api ../sharedTo avoid typing that every time, the Yes, and remember this directory option saves the folder to the project's local settings file. You can also write it yourself:
// .verboo/settings.local.json
{
"permissions": {
"additionalDirectories": ["/home/you/projects/api"]
}
}When the CLI writes this file itself, it adds .verboo/settings.local.json to .gitignore, so your machine's path doesn't end up in the repository. If the whole team needs the same sibling folder, the same key works in .verboo/settings.json, which is the shared file.
Why does /add-dir reject the folder?
It is almost always one of these four messages. They come verbatim from the CLI source:
| Message | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Path ... was not found. | The path doesn't exist, or your user can't read it | Check with ls -ld ../api |
... is not a directory. Did you mean to add the parent directory ...? | You passed a file | Pass the folder that contains the file |
... is already accessible within the existing working directory ... | The folder is already inside an allowed directory | Nothing: the agent already reaches it |
Please provide a directory path. | Empty input | Type the path |
The third one trips people up: a subfolder of the current project never needs /add-dir. The command is for what sits outside the tree where the session started.
Gotcha: allowing a folder doesn't make the agent read its rules. The sibling repository's AGENTS.md is left out by default. The agent can edit files there without knowing the conventions you wrote for that project. To load instructions from extra folders, set the environment variable at startup:
CLAUDE_CODE_ADDITIONAL_DIRECTORIES_CLAUDE_MD=1 verboo --add-dir ../apiWith it, the CLI reads the extra folder's AGENTS.md (or CLAUDE.md if there is no AGENTS.md), .claude/CLAUDE.md and the files in .claude/rules/. It accepts 1, true, yes or on. More on these files in the /memory and AGENTS.md tutorial.
How do I see and remove allowed folders?
Open /permissions and go to the Workspace tab. It lists the original directory, marked (Original working directory), and every extra folder. From there you can remove a folder or add another through the Add directory… option.
/permissionsThe same screen controls which commands the agent runs without asking. If you haven't set that up yet, the /permissions tutorial shows the allow and deny rules.
With two or three folders allowed, the agent reads more files per request, because it has to understand both sides before changing the interface between them. On Verboo Code plans run with unlimited tokens, so opening the backend alongside the frontend doesn't weigh on the bill.
