On macOS, certain apps need permission from the system before they can access things like your screen, microphone, browser, and app usage. These settings permissions are part of Apple’s built-in privacy and security protections, ensuring that apps can only use specific features if you allow it.
You can manage and review these permissions in System Settings → Privacy & Security, where you decide which apps have access — keeping you in control of your data and device.
For Insightful to work properly, it needs a few of these permissions. They allow the app to capture activity, record URLs, or take screenshots - depending on which features your company is using.
Without these permissions, some Insightful features won’t work, and you may see system pop-ups asking you to allow access.
This article explains:
Which permissions does Insightful need on macOS
Why each one is required
What happens if they aren’t granted
How to grant them manually or through remote setup
Why Permissions Are Needed
Several system permissions must be granted to ensure the smooth functionality of the Insightful Agent on macOS, and those are:
Accessibility - required to enable accurate data capture
Automation - for browser URL capture (granted separately for each browser)
Screen & System Audio Recording - for screenshots and screen recordings (if these features are enabled)
Most of these permissions can be handled by deploying macOS configuration profiles (.mobileconfig), which are used to remotely configure and manage permissions.
What Happens If Permissions Aren’t Granted
If the Insightful Agent doesn’t have the right permissions on macOS, some features won’t work as expected. You may also see system pop-ups asking you to allow access.
Accessibility
Without it: The Agent cannot capture data properly, and tracking accuracy might be reduced
What you’ll see: macOS will keep showing permission prompts until this is enabled.
Automation
Without it: The Agent can’t capture website URLs in your browsers.
What you’ll see: A macOS pop-up appears each time the Agent tries to access a browser URL data for the first time.
Screen & System Audio Recording
Without it: The Agent can’t take screenshots or record the screen.
What you’ll see: macOS will ask for permission every time a capture is attempted.
How to set up permissions?
Additional macOS Prompts
Even after granting the required permissions, macOS may still display system prompts. These are part of Apple’s security and privacy design.
Background Items Added Prompt
When it appears:
Once, immediately after installation.
MacOS privacy policy is designed to notify users whenever an app adds background processes.
Remote control: This prompt can be suppressed via the configuration profile provided by Insightful support.
Suppressing this notification removes the prompt for all apps with background processes, not just the Insightful app.
Monthly Screen & Audio Recording Prompt (Sequoia 15 or later)
After screen & audio recording permissions are granted, this prompt will show once a month.
Due to Apple's privacy policy, this prompt periodically re-verifies user consent for screen and audio recording.
Remote control: This prompt can be suppressed via the configuration profile provided by Insightful support.
Tray Notification for Screenshots and Recordings
When it appears:
Briefly, every time a screenshot is taken
Continuously, while a screen recording is in progress
Why it’s shown:
This is part of Apple’s privacy and transparency features, designed to notify users when their screen is being captured.
Remote control:
This notification cannot be disabled or hidden using configuration profiles.