ToolPiper asks for a permission only when you click a grant in its Home pane, never at launch and never from inside a running task, and every permission it asks for is optional. Declining one disables the feature that needed it and leaves everything else working.
Microphone
Granted from the Home pane, where the dictation trial asks for it as part of your first dictation. A feature that needs the microphone and does not have it points you there instead of prompting mid-task. Audio is processed on this Mac by a local speech model and is not uploaded anywhere.
If you declined it and want it back, open **System Settings > Privacy & Security
Microphone** and enable ToolPiper. macOS only shows an app in that list after the app has asked once, so if ToolPiper is not listed, trigger a recording first.
Automation
Granted from the Home pane, one application at a time. macOS shows each request as "ToolPiper wants access to control AppName". The grant is per application, so you approve the apps you actually want automated and nothing else.
Reset an individual grant under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation.
Accessibility and screen recording
Some tools read the on-screen accessibility tree or capture the screen. Both are switches in System Settings > Privacy & Security, in the Accessibility and Screen Recording sections. The Home pane sends you to the right switch and notices when it flips.
Accessibility takes effect as soon as it is granted; the hotkeys re-arm on the spot. Screen Recording needs a quit and relaunch before macOS lets the app use it. If a switch is on in System Settings and the Home pane still shows the permission as denied, the row offers a reset that clears the stale entry.
What none of this sends anywhere
Nothing. Permissions widen what ToolPiper can do on your machine; they do not open a network path. Audio, screen contents and accessibility data are read locally, used locally, and not transmitted.