| #https://www.notion.so/n8n/Frontmatter-432c2b8dff1f43d4b1c8d20075510fe4 | |
| title: Block access to nodes | |
| description: "Prevent your n8n users from accessing specific nodes." | |
| contentType: howto | |
| # Block access to nodes | |
| For security reasons, you may want to block your users from accessing or working with specific n8n nodes. This is helpful if your users might be untrustworthy. | |
| Use the `NODES_EXCLUDE` environment variable to prevent your users from accessing specific nodes. | |
| ## Exclude nodes | |
| Update your `NODES_EXCLUDE` environment variable to include an array of strings containing any nodes you want to block your users from using. | |
| For example, setting the variable this way: | |
| ``` | |
| NODES_EXCLUDE: "[\"n8n-nodes-base.executeCommand\", \"n8n-nodes-base.readWriteFile\"]" | |
| ``` | |
| Blocks the [Execute Command](/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.executecommand/index.md) and [Read/Write Files from Disk](/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.readwritefile.md) nodes. | |
| Your n8n users won't be able to search for or use these nodes. | |
| ## Suggested nodes to block | |
| The nodes that can pose security risks vary based on your use case and user profile. Here are some nodes you might want to start with: | |
| * [Execute Command](/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.executecommand/index.md) | |
| * [Read/Write Files from Disk](/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.readwritefile.md) | |
| ## Related resources | |
| Refer to [Nodes environment variables](/hosting/configuration/environment-variables/nodes.md) for more information on this environment variable. | |
| Refer to [Configuration](/hosting/configuration/configuration-methods.md) for more information on setting environment variables. | |