diff --git a/service/service.go b/service/service.go
index dace80f..606cee9 100644
--- a/service/service.go
+++ b/service/service.go
@@ -145,7 +145,6 @@ type FilePath struct {
 }
 
 // UnmarshalYAML implements the yaml.Unmarshaler interface.
-// Mode defaults to 0644 if unspecified in the YAML node.
 func (lp *FilePath) UnmarshalYAML(node *yaml.Node) error {
 	switch node.Kind {
 	case yaml.ScalarNode:
@@ -155,7 +154,7 @@ func (lp *FilePath) UnmarshalYAML(node *yaml.Node) error {
 			return err
 		}
 		lp.Path = path
-		lp.Mode = 0644
+		lp.Mode = 0
 	default:
 		type noRecursion FilePath
 		var noRec noRecursion
diff --git a/service/service_test.go b/service/service_test.go
index 3efa777..1217d22 100644
--- a/service/service_test.go
+++ b/service/service_test.go
@@ -117,8 +117,8 @@ links:
 
 func TestParseLinksString(t *testing.T) {
 	expect := map[string]service.FilePath{
-		"/my/path/file1": {Path: "/tmp/alias1", Mode: 0644},
-		"my/path/file2":  {Path: "/tmp/alias2", Mode: 0o644},
+		"/my/path/file1": {Path: "/tmp/alias1", Mode: 0o000},
+		"my/path/file2":  {Path: "/tmp/alias2", Mode: 0o000},
 	}
 	const doc = `
 links:
@@ -202,8 +202,8 @@ copies:
 
 func TestParseCopiesString(t *testing.T) {
 	expect := map[string]service.FilePath{
-		"/my/path/file1": {Path: "/tmp/alias1", Mode: 0644},
-		"my/path/file2":  {Path: "/tmp/alias2", Mode: 0o644},
+		"/my/path/file1": {Path: "/tmp/alias1", Mode: 0o000},
+		"my/path/file2":  {Path: "/tmp/alias2", Mode: 0o000},
 	}
 	const doc = `
 copies: