For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.

Allowlist in Security Software

Allowlist AI Endpoint Shield in the antivirus, EDR, and endpoint management tools deployed across your organization so they do not block or quarantine it.

AI Endpoint Shield runs a background binary as SYSTEM (Windows) or as the signed-in user (macOS), and installs hooks into local AI tooling. Antivirus, EDR, and endpoint management products routinely flag that behaviour and can quarantine the binary, kill the process at startup, or block the installer outright.

Add the paths below as exclusions in whichever tools your organization runs — Microsoft Defender, SentinelOne, CrowdStrike Falcon, Carbon Black, Netskope, and similar. Forward this page to your IT or security administrator.

Only the binary paths need to be excluded. Unlike broader EDR allowlisting, exclusions scoped to the executable paths are sufficient for normal operation.

Symptoms that point here: the binary disappears after install, scheduled tasks show LastResult 0xC000013A or 0x00000005, processes start and die within seconds, or the install log ends abruptly.


Paths to Exclude

These paths apply to all endpoint management tools (Microsoft Defender, SentinelOne, CrowdStrike, and others).

macOS

Path
Description

/usr/local/bin/akto-endpoint-shield

Main binary (MDM/Jamf install)

/usr/local/lib/akto-endpoint-shield/

Bundled runtime (includes venv/bin/mitmdump when the optional system proxy is enabled)

~/.akto-endpoint-shield/bin/

Per-user wrapper and hook installer scripts

Windows

Path
Description

C:\Program Files\Akto Endpoint Shield\akto-endpoint-shield.exe

Main binary

C:\ProgramData\akto-endpoint-shield\

Logs, and the mitmproxy virtualenv when the optional system proxy is enabled

Getting the binary hash

Some vendors want a SHA256 hash rather than (or in addition to) a path. Run this on an affected machine and share the output with your security administrator.

macOS

Windows

The hash changes with every Akto release, so path- and signature-based exclusions are preferable where the vendor supports them.


Configure for MS Defender Endpoint

The following steps are specific to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. For other tools, refer to your vendor's documentation for adding process or path exclusions.

macOS

Directly on the Mac

Run these commands on each machine (no MDM required):

1

Add the process and path exclusions:

2

Verify the exclusions were applied:


Via Jamf Pro

Deploy a custom Microsoft Defender configuration profile with the preference domain com.microsoft.wdav.

1

In Jamf Pro, navigate to ComputersConfiguration Profiles+ New.

2

Add a payload: Application & Custom Settings.

3

Set Preference Domain: com.microsoft.wdav.

4

Upload or paste the following JSON:

Microsoft Defender on macOS does not expand ~ in exclusion paths. Using /Users/ as a folder exclusion covers ~/.akto-endpoint-shield/ for all users on the machine.

5

Set Scope to target the relevant computers or groups.

6

Save and deploy.


Via Microsoft Intune

1

Go to Endpoint SecurityAntivirusCreate Policy.

2

Select Platform: macOS and Profile: Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

3

Under Antivirus engineExclusions, add the two paths above.

4

Assign the policy to the relevant device group and save.


Windows

Directly on the Windows Machine

Run the following commands in an elevated PowerShell session:

1

Add the process and path exclusions:

2

Verify the exclusions were applied:


Via Microsoft Intune

1

Go to Endpoint SecurityAntivirusCreate Policy.

2

Select Platform: Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server and Profile: Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

3

Under Microsoft Defender Antivirus Exclusions, add:

  • Process exclusions: akto-endpoint-shield.exe

  • Path exclusions: C:\Program Files\Akto Endpoint Shield\

4

Assign the policy to the relevant device group and save.


Configure for CrowdStrike Falcon

These steps apply to Windows machines managed by CrowdStrike Falcon. Forward this section to your IT / CrowdStrike administrator.

Windows

Falcon needs both a path and a hash exclusion. Get the SHA256 hash first — see Getting the binary hash — and send it to your CrowdStrike administrator along with the steps below.

Falcon console exclusions

Add the following exclusions in the Falcon console, scoped to the policy or device group that covers the affected machines.

1

ML exclusion — path

Go to Configuration → ML Exclusions → Add Exclusion and fill in:

Field
Value

Value

C:\Program Files\Akto Endpoint Shield\akto-endpoint-shield.exe

Type

Windows

Groups

(select the device group)

2

ML exclusion — hash

Go to Configuration → ML Exclusions → Add Exclusion and fill in:

Field
Value

Value

(SHA256 hash from the step above)

Type

SHA256

Groups

(select the device group)

3

Prevention policy exclusion

Go to Configuration → Prevention Policies → (policy name) → Exclusions and add akto-endpoint-shield.exe as a process exclusion.

This prevents behavioral detections from blocking the Akto process when it runs under the SYSTEM account at boot.

4

Sensor visibility exclusion (optional)

If Akto activity is generating excessive alerts in the Falcon dashboard, go to Configuration → Sensor Visibility Exclusions → Add and fill in:

Field
Value

Path

C:\Program Files\Akto Endpoint Shield\


Still blocked?

If the exclusions are in place and the binary is still being killed, run the diagnostic in Windows Troubleshooting or macOS Troubleshooting — both enumerate the security products present on the machine and the block events they recorded, which is what your vendor's support will ask for.

Get support

  1. In-app Intercom in the Akto dashboard

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