AI Functions Unity Catalog permissions

Important

AI Functions Unity Catalog permissions is in Public Preview but requires enablement. Reach out to your Databricks account team to enable this feature. After enablement, see Manage account-level previews for how account admins can control access to this feature.

Metastore admins use AI Functions Unity Catalog permissions to restrict which task-specific AI Functions your organization can access. For example, if you need to govern access based on compliance or data-handling requirements. Admins can block specific AI Functions account-wide or grant access to specific groups or users.

How AI Functions Unity Catalog permissions work

AI Functions Unity Catalog permissions use Unity Catalog permissions on the system.ai schema and individual AI Function objects. By default, all users have EXECUTE permission on the system.ai schema, which opens all supported AI Functions to users.

To restrict which AI Functions are open to users, admins remove the default EXECUTE permission from the schema and then selectively grant it on approved individual functions. The AI Functions service automatically enforces permissions on every request.

Requirements

  • Unity Catalog must be enabled for your account.
  • Metastore admin or Unity Catalog admin privileges.
  • The feature must be enabled for your account. Reach out to your Databricks account team to enable it.

Step 1: Remove EXECUTE permission from the schema

Removing EXECUTE from the system.ai schema clears all default access to AI Functions. No user can invoke any AI Function until permissions are explicitly re-granted.

  1. Go to Catalog. Select the system catalog, then the ai schema. Click the Permissions tab.
  2. Revoke EXECUTE from All Users (or from all groups).

Important

After you remove EXECUTE from the schema, calls to all AI Functions stop immediately.

Step 2: Grant EXECUTE on approved AI Functions

For each AI Function your organization approves, selectively grant EXECUTE privilege.

  1. In Catalog Explorer, under the system catalog, select ai > functions, then your target function.
  2. Click the Permissions tab.
  3. Grant EXECUTE to All Users, or to specific groups.

Repeat for each approved AI Function. This creates an allow-list of permitted AI Functions.

Limitations

  • AI Functions Unity Catalog permissions only apply to AI Functions under the system.ai schema.

Additional resources

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