datasette.client.get(..., skip_permission_checks=True)

Closes #2580

datasette/app.py

@@ -2363,6 +2363,12 @@ class NotFoundExplicit(NotFound):
 
 
 class DatasetteClient:
+    """Internal HTTP client for making requests to a Datasette instance.
+
+    Used for testing and for internal operations that need to make HTTP requests
+    to the Datasette app without going through an actual HTTP server.
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, ds):
         self.ds = ds
         self.app = ds.app()
@@ -2378,40 +2384,87 @@ class DatasetteClient:
             path = f"http://localhost{path}"
         return path
 
-    async def _request(self, method, path, **kwargs):
-        async with httpx.AsyncClient(
-            transport=httpx.ASGITransport(app=self.app),
-            cookies=kwargs.pop("cookies", None),
-        ) as client:
-            return await getattr(client, method)(self._fix(path), **kwargs)
+    async def _request(self, method, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        from datasette.permissions import SkipPermissions
 
-    async def get(self, path, **kwargs):
-        return await self._request("get", path, **kwargs)
+        if skip_permission_checks:
+            with SkipPermissions():
+                async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+                    transport=httpx.ASGITransport(app=self.app),
+                    cookies=kwargs.pop("cookies", None),
+                ) as client:
+                    return await getattr(client, method)(self._fix(path), **kwargs)
+        else:
+            async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+                transport=httpx.ASGITransport(app=self.app),
+                cookies=kwargs.pop("cookies", None),
+            ) as client:
+                return await getattr(client, method)(self._fix(path), **kwargs)
 
-    async def options(self, path, **kwargs):
-        return await self._request("options", path, **kwargs)
+    async def get(self, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        return await self._request(
+            "get", path, skip_permission_checks=skip_permission_checks, **kwargs
+        )
 
-    async def head(self, path, **kwargs):
-        return await self._request("head", path, **kwargs)
+    async def options(self, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        return await self._request(
+            "options", path, skip_permission_checks=skip_permission_checks, **kwargs
+        )
 
-    async def post(self, path, **kwargs):
-        return await self._request("post", path, **kwargs)
+    async def head(self, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        return await self._request(
+            "head", path, skip_permission_checks=skip_permission_checks, **kwargs
+        )
 
-    async def put(self, path, **kwargs):
-        return await self._request("put", path, **kwargs)
+    async def post(self, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        return await self._request(
+            "post", path, skip_permission_checks=skip_permission_checks, **kwargs
+        )
 
-    async def patch(self, path, **kwargs):
-        return await self._request("patch", path, **kwargs)
+    async def put(self, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        return await self._request(
+            "put", path, skip_permission_checks=skip_permission_checks, **kwargs
+        )
 
-    async def delete(self, path, **kwargs):
-        return await self._request("delete", path, **kwargs)
+    async def patch(self, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        return await self._request(
+            "patch", path, skip_permission_checks=skip_permission_checks, **kwargs
+        )
+
+    async def delete(self, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        return await self._request(
+            "delete", path, skip_permission_checks=skip_permission_checks, **kwargs
+        )
+
+    async def request(self, method, path, skip_permission_checks=False, **kwargs):
+        """Make an HTTP request with the specified method.
+
+        Args:
+            method: HTTP method (e.g., "GET", "POST", "PUT")
+            path: The path to request
+            skip_permission_checks: If True, bypass all permission checks for this request
+            **kwargs: Additional arguments to pass to httpx
+
+        Returns:
+            httpx.Response: The response from the request
+        """
+        from datasette.permissions import SkipPermissions
 
-    async def request(self, method, path, **kwargs):
         avoid_path_rewrites = kwargs.pop("avoid_path_rewrites", None)
-        async with httpx.AsyncClient(
-            transport=httpx.ASGITransport(app=self.app),
-            cookies=kwargs.pop("cookies", None),
-        ) as client:
-            return await client.request(
-                method, self._fix(path, avoid_path_rewrites), **kwargs
-            )
+        if skip_permission_checks:
+            with SkipPermissions():
+                async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+                    transport=httpx.ASGITransport(app=self.app),
+                    cookies=kwargs.pop("cookies", None),
+                ) as client:
+                    return await client.request(
+                        method, self._fix(path, avoid_path_rewrites), **kwargs
+                    )
+        else:
+            async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+                transport=httpx.ASGITransport(app=self.app),
+                cookies=kwargs.pop("cookies", None),
+            ) as client:
+                return await client.request(
+                    method, self._fix(path, avoid_path_rewrites), **kwargs
+                )

datasette/permissions.py

@@ -1,6 +1,33 @@
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import Any, NamedTuple
+import contextvars
+
+
+# Context variable to track when permission checks should be skipped
+_skip_permission_checks = contextvars.ContextVar(
+    "skip_permission_checks", default=False
+)
+
+
+class SkipPermissions:
+    """Context manager to temporarily skip permission checks.
+
+    This is not a stable API and may change in future releases.
+
+    Usage:
+        with SkipPermissions():
+            # Permission checks are skipped within this block
+            response = await datasette.client.get("/protected")
+    """
+
+    def __enter__(self):
+        self.token = _skip_permission_checks.set(True)
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb):
+        _skip_permission_checks.reset(self.token)
+        return False
 
 
 class Resource(ABC):

datasette/utils/actions_sql.py

@@ -155,6 +155,16 @@ async def _build_single_action_sql(
         action=action,
     )
 
+    # If permission_sqls is the sentinel, skip all permission checks
+    # Return SQL that allows all resources
+    from datasette.utils.permissions import SKIP_PERMISSION_CHECKS
+
+    if permission_sqls is SKIP_PERMISSION_CHECKS:
+        cols = "parent, child, 'skip_permission_checks' AS reason"
+        if include_is_private:
+            cols += ", 0 AS is_private"
+        return f"SELECT {cols} FROM ({base_resources_sql})", {}
+
     all_params = {}
     rule_sqls = []
     restriction_sqls = []
@@ -436,6 +446,17 @@ async def build_permission_rules_sql(
         action=action,
     )
 
+    # If permission_sqls is the sentinel, skip all permission checks
+    # Return SQL that allows everything
+    from datasette.utils.permissions import SKIP_PERMISSION_CHECKS
+
+    if permission_sqls is SKIP_PERMISSION_CHECKS:
+        return (
+            "SELECT NULL AS parent, NULL AS child, 1 AS allow, 'skip_permission_checks' AS reason, 'skip' AS source_plugin",
+            {},
+            [],
+        )
+
     if not permission_sqls:
         return (
             "SELECT NULL AS parent, NULL AS child, 0 AS allow, NULL AS reason, NULL AS source_plugin WHERE 0",

datasette/utils/permissions.py

@@ -10,13 +10,26 @@ from datasette.plugins import pm
 from datasette.utils import await_me_maybe
 
 
+# Sentinel object to indicate permission checks should be skipped
+SKIP_PERMISSION_CHECKS = object()
+
+
 async def gather_permission_sql_from_hooks(
     *, datasette, actor: dict | None, action: str
-) -> List[PermissionSQL]:
+) -> List[PermissionSQL] | object:
     """Collect PermissionSQL objects from the permission_resources_sql hook.
 
     Ensures that each returned PermissionSQL has a populated ``source``.
+
+    Returns SKIP_PERMISSION_CHECKS sentinel if skip_permission_checks context variable
+    is set, signaling that all permission checks should be bypassed.
     """
+    from datasette.permissions import _skip_permission_checks
+
+    # Check if we should skip permission checks BEFORE calling hooks
+    # This avoids creating unawaited coroutines
+    if _skip_permission_checks.get():
+        return SKIP_PERMISSION_CHECKS
 
     hook_caller = pm.hook.permission_resources_sql
     hookimpls = hook_caller.get_hookimpls()