diff --git a/.changeset/silver-maps-read.md b/.changeset/silver-maps-read.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d55439e9882
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/silver-maps-read.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@kilocode/cli": patch
+---
+
+Honor approved external directory read access in Ask and Plan modes.
diff --git a/packages/opencode/src/kilocode/permission/external-directory.ts b/packages/opencode/src/kilocode/permission/external-directory.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4fe5da865a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/opencode/src/kilocode/permission/external-directory.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { evaluate as evalRule } from "@/permission/evaluate"
+
+type Rule = {
+  permission: string
+  pattern: string
+  action: "allow" | "deny" | "ask"
+}
+
+type Ruleset = Rule[]
+
+function mode(rule: Rule) {
+  return rule.permission === "*" && rule.pattern === "*" && rule.action === "deny"
+}
+
+function rules(permission: string, ruleset?: Ruleset) {
+  if (!ruleset) return []
+  if (permission !== "external_directory") return ruleset
+  return ruleset.filter((rule) => !mode(rule))
+}
+
+export namespace ExternalDirectoryPermission {
+  export function evaluate(permission: string, pattern: string, ...sets: Array<Ruleset | undefined>) {
+    return evalRule(
+      permission,
+      pattern,
+      ...sets.map((set) => rules(permission, set)),
+    )
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/opencode/src/permission/index.ts b/packages/opencode/src/permission/index.ts
index 991b0a52f4e..fcb140b5ca5 100644
--- a/packages/opencode/src/permission/index.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/src/permission/index.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { makeRuntime } from "@/effect/run-service" // kilocode_change
 import { ConfigProtection } from "@/kilocode/permission/config-paths" // kilocode_change
 import { Identifier } from "@/id/id" // kilocode_change
 import { drainCovered } from "@/kilocode/permission/drain" // kilocode_change
+import { ExternalDirectoryPermission } from "@/kilocode/permission/external-directory" // kilocode_change
 
 const log = Log.create({ service: "permission" })
 
@@ -177,7 +178,7 @@ export function evaluate(permission: string, pattern: string, ...rulesets: Rules
 // kilocode_change start
 function veto(permission: string, pattern: string, ruleset?: Ruleset) {
   if (!ruleset) return false
-  return evaluate(permission, pattern, ruleset).action === "deny"
+  return ExternalDirectoryPermission.evaluate(permission, pattern, ruleset).action === "deny"
 }
 
 function subset(permission: string, ruleset: Ruleset) {
@@ -227,7 +228,11 @@ export const layer = Layer.effect(
       // kilocode_change end
 
       for (const pattern of request.patterns) {
-        const rule = evaluate(request.permission, pattern, ruleset, approved, local) // kilocode_change — include session-scoped rules
+        // kilocode_change start - external_directory allows must survive Ask/Plan hard rules
+        const rule = hardRuleset
+          ? ExternalDirectoryPermission.evaluate(request.permission, pattern, ruleset, approved, local)
+          : evaluate(request.permission, pattern, ruleset, approved, local) // kilocode_change — include session-scoped rules
+        // kilocode_change end
         log.info("evaluated", { permission: request.permission, pattern, action: rule })
         // kilocode_change start — saved/session approvals cannot override hard Ask/Plan denials
         if (veto(request.permission, pattern, hardRuleset)) {
diff --git a/packages/opencode/test/kilocode/permission/next.always-rules.test.ts b/packages/opencode/test/kilocode/permission/next.always-rules.test.ts
index 92386c76eff..065fd9ddde6 100644
--- a/packages/opencode/test/kilocode/permission/next.always-rules.test.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/test/kilocode/permission/next.always-rules.test.ts
@@ -309,6 +309,93 @@ describe("saveAlwaysRules", () => {
     ),
   )
 
+  it.live("explicit external directory allows are not shadowed by ask plan broad denies", () =>
+    withDir({ git: true }, (dir) =>
+      Effect.gen(function* () {
+        const root = path.resolve(path.dirname(dir), "legacy")
+        const glob = path.join(root, "*")
+        const ruleset: Permission.Ruleset = [
+          { permission: "external_directory", pattern: "*", action: "ask" },
+          { permission: "external_directory", pattern: glob, action: "allow" },
+          { permission: "*", pattern: "*", action: "deny" },
+        ]
+
+        const result = yield* ask({
+          sessionID: SessionID.make("session_test"),
+          permission: "external_directory",
+          patterns: [glob],
+          metadata: { filepath: path.join(root, "main.ts"), parentDir: root },
+          always: [glob],
+          ruleset,
+          hardRuleset: ruleset,
+        })
+        expect(result).toBeUndefined()
+      }),
+    ),
+  )
+
+  it.live("saved external directory approvals survive ask plan hard rules", () =>
+    withDir({ git: true }, (dir) =>
+      Effect.gen(function* () {
+        const root = path.resolve(path.dirname(dir), "legacy")
+        const glob = path.join(root, "*")
+        const asking = yield* ask({
+          id: PermissionID.make("permission_external_seed"),
+          sessionID: SessionID.make("session_test"),
+          permission: "external_directory",
+          patterns: [glob],
+          metadata: { filepath: path.join(root, "main.ts"), parentDir: root },
+          always: [glob],
+          ruleset: [{ permission: "external_directory", pattern: "*", action: "ask" }],
+        }).pipe(Effect.forkScoped)
+
+        yield* waitForPending(1)
+        yield* reply({ requestID: PermissionID.make("permission_external_seed"), reply: "always" })
+        yield* Fiber.join(asking)
+
+        const result = yield* ask({
+          sessionID: SessionID.make("session_test"),
+          permission: "external_directory",
+          patterns: [glob],
+          metadata: { filepath: path.join(root, "main.ts"), parentDir: root },
+          always: [glob],
+          ruleset: [
+            { permission: "external_directory", pattern: "*", action: "ask" },
+            { permission: "*", pattern: "*", action: "deny" },
+          ],
+          hardRuleset: [{ permission: "*", pattern: "*", action: "deny" }],
+        })
+        expect(result).toBeUndefined()
+      }),
+    ),
+  )
+
+  it.live("explicit external directory denies still win over ask plan exceptions", () =>
+    withDir({ git: true }, (dir) =>
+      Effect.gen(function* () {
+        const root = path.resolve(path.dirname(dir), "legacy")
+        const glob = path.join(root, "*")
+        const exit = yield* ask({
+          sessionID: SessionID.make("session_test"),
+          permission: "external_directory",
+          patterns: [glob],
+          metadata: { filepath: path.join(root, "main.ts"), parentDir: root },
+          always: [glob],
+          ruleset: [
+            { permission: "external_directory", pattern: glob, action: "allow" },
+            { permission: "external_directory", pattern: glob, action: "deny" },
+            { permission: "*", pattern: "*", action: "deny" },
+          ],
+          hardRuleset: [
+            { permission: "*", pattern: "*", action: "deny" },
+            { permission: "external_directory", pattern: glob, action: "deny" },
+          ],
+        }).pipe(Effect.exit)
+        expectFailure(exit, Permission.DeniedError)
+      }),
+    ),
+  )
+
   it.live("accepts hierarchy patterns from metadata.rules", () =>
     withDir({ git: true }, () =>
       Effect.gen(function* () {