Auto Mode

Auto mode is the middle ground between approving every tool call and running with --dangerously-skip-permissions. A classifier evaluates each permission prompt and either approves safe operations silently or blocks and surfaces suspicious ones.

Available since v2.1.83 (research preview).

The Three Permission Modes

Cycle with Shift+Tab in the terminal:

Enabling Auto Mode

Per-session

Press Shift+Tab until you see auto mode on in the footer.

As default (settings.json)

{
  "permissions": {
    "defaultMode": "auto"
  }
}

Command-line flag

claude --permission-mode auto

How the Classifier Works

The classifier scores each tool call against a risk model. For each action:

• Low risk (reading files, running lint, git status) → silently approved
• Medium risk (writing files, running tests) → approved with a brief log entry
• High risk (deleting files, network calls to unknown hosts, force-pushing) → blocked and surfaced to you

You see the same UI as a manual block, so you can review and override when needed.

Handling Denials with PermissionDenied Hook

When the classifier blocks an action, a PermissionDenied hook fires before Claude has a chance to respond. Use it to:

• Log blocked actions for audit trails
• Return retry: true to let Claude try a different approach instead of failing

{
  "hooks": {
    "PermissionDenied": [{
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": ".claude/hooks/permission-denied.sh"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# permission-denied.sh
set -euo pipefail
INPUT=$(cat)
TOOL=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_name // "unknown"')
REASON=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.reason // "no reason"')

# Log to audit file
printf '%s\t%s\t%s\n' "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" "$TOOL" "$REASON" \
  >> .claude/logs/permission-denied.log

# Return retry: true so Claude tries an alternative approach
echo '{"retry": true}'

Alternatively, retry manually from the /permissions → Recent tab using r.

Deferring Decisions in Headless Mode

For SDK apps and custom UIs that run Claude in -p (print/pipe) mode, use defer on a PreToolUse hook to pause Claude at a tool call and hand the decision to your application:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [{
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": ".claude/hooks/pause-for-review.sh"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# pause-for-review.sh — returns defer for sensitive tools
set -euo pipefail
INPUT=$(cat)
TOOL=$(echo "$INPUT" | jq -r '.tool_name // ""')

case "$TOOL" in
  Bash|Write|Edit)
    echo '{"permissionDecision": "defer"}'
    ;;
  *)
    echo '{"decision": "approve"}'
    ;;
esac

When Claude hits a defer:

1. Claude Code exits with a deferred_tool_use payload
2. Your app surfaces the decision (custom UI, Slack message, approval flow)
3. Your app resumes: claude --resume <session-id> --permission-decision approve

Auto Mode vs Manual Approval vs bypassPermissions

Recommended for most workflows: auto mode. Only use bypassPermissions: In locked-down CI containers where you control the entire environment.

Combining with Autonomy Profiles

Auto mode pairs well with the autonomy profiles from skills/autonomy-profiles/SKILL.md. Set defaultMode: "auto" and then configure the appropriate autonomy profile (conservative, balanced, aggressive) to control task scope and self-correction behavior independently of permission approval.

Checking Current Mode

/status    # shows current permission mode in the footer
/permissions   # opens the full permissions panel