A file operations engine and other programming mechanisms are provided for handling file operations errors related to permissions. A file operations engine according to an embodiment of the invention manages many user interactions with their files via a computer system including options for taking a permission for a resource, such as a file, a folder or other object. The operations engine may enable another person to provide a user with a necessary permission for a resource. The operations engine or other programming mechanisms can provide dialogs and user interface mechanisms for handling permissions errors.