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Permission modes

⏱ 15 min4 steps

has a few ways of working, called . They decide how much it does before it checks with you. You already met two: , which new installs start in, and , from Your first real conversation with Claude.

Next, switch through all four and ask for a plan without building anything. If the bar doesn't match, the fixes are under each step.

Claude Code Claude, working inside Terminal. It can make files and run things on your Mac, with a safety checker watching what it does. All wordspermission mode How much Claude Code does before checking with you. You can switch it any time with Shift+Tab. All wordsauto mode Claude works without asking, and a separate safety checker blocks anything risky. All wordsmanual mode Claude asks you before it changes a file or runs a command. It only reads on its own. All words

Before this, you'll want:

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Steps

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Steps for
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  1. Start Claude Code and find the mode in the bar at the bottom

    1. Open (Cmd+SpaceWindows key, type Terminal, press Enter).

    2. Go to your my-idea . Type this and press Enter:

      cd ~/Backyard/my-idea

      cd ~\Backyard\my-idea

    3. Check the says my-idea.

    4. Start Claude Code. Type this and press Enter:

      claude

    5. Look at the bar at the bottom of the window.

    Terminal An app on your Mac where you type instructions instead of clicking on things. Claude Code works inside it. All wordsfolder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All wordsprompt line The line in Terminal that ends with a % sign. The word right before the % is the folder you're in. All words

    You should see:

    It says ⏵⏵ auto mode on.

    That's not what I see
    It says "cd: no such file or directoryCannot find path … because it does not exist".
    The my-idea folder isn't there. It comes from Check the idea first, so do that piece first, then come back.
    It says "zsh: command not found: claudeThe term 'claude' is not recognized".
    This Terminal window doesn't know about Claude Code. Close the window with Cmd+WCtrl+Shift+W, open a new one and try again. If it still says that, go back to Claude Code and .install Put a new program on your computer so you can use it. All wordssign in Tell Claude Code which Claude account is yours, so it knows you've paid for it. All words
    I don't see a mode in the bar.
    Manual mode shows manual mode on in gray, which can be hard to spot. Press Shift+Tab once and watch the bottom of the window. The mode name changes there.
    It says auto mode isn't available.
    That's fine. You'll stay in manual mode, where Claude asks before each change. Everything else in this piece still works.

  2. Press Shift+Tab and watch the mode change

    These are the four modes you'll use:

    • Auto (the bar says ⏵⏵ auto mode on): Claude does almost everything on its own. A separate safety checker reviews each action and blocks risky ones.
    • Manual (⏸ manual mode on): Claude only reads on its own. It asks before every change and every .
    • Accept edits (⏵⏵ accept edits on): Claude reads, edits files, and makes and moves folders on its own. It asks before other commands.
    • Plan (⏸ on): Claude reads and plans. It changes nothing until you the plan.

    Shift+Tab moves to the next mode: from auto to manual, then accept edits, then plan, then back to auto.

    1. Press Shift+Tab four times, slowly.
    2. Watch the bar at the bottom after each press.
    command An instruction you type into Terminal. Your Mac does it when you press Enter. All wordsplan mode Claude reads and makes a plan, but changes nothing until you approve the plan. All wordsapprove Say yes when Claude Code asks before it changes something. In manual mode, nothing gets written until you do. All words

    You should see:

    The bar changes with each press: ⏸ manual mode on, then ⏵⏵ accept edits on, then ⏸ plan mode on, then ⏵⏵ auto mode on again.

    ⏸ manual mode on · ? for shortcuts
⏵⏵ accept edits on (shift+tab to cycle)
⏸ plan mode on (shift+tab to cycle)
⏵⏵ auto mode on (shift+tab to cycle)
    That's not what I see
    Shift+Tab didn't change anything.
    Click in the Terminal window first, and make sure Claude Code is running. If you see the %> prompt line instead, type claude and press Enter, then try again. If Shift+Tab still does nothing, press Alt+M instead. It does the same thing.
    Auto mode never came up as I pressed Shift+Tab.
    No auto mode? You'll see manual, accept edits and plan, then manual again. That's fine. Everything else in this piece still works.

  3. Ask for a plan in plan mode

    This asks Claude to plan a one-page website from your PRD, without building it.

    1. Press Shift+Tab until the bar says ⏸ plan mode on. From auto mode, that's three presses.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    Plan how you would turn PRD.md into a one-page website for my idea. List the steps, the files you'd make, and anything you'd need from me. Don't build anything yet.
    1. Paste it into Claude Code with Cmd+VCtrl+V and press Enter.
    2. Read the plan. If Claude asks "Would you like to proceed?", press Esc. You're not building today.
    3. When the question is gone and the bar says ⏸ plan mode on, press Shift+Tab once to go back to auto mode.
    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words

    You should see:

    Claude reads your files and writes out a plan, without changing anything. It may end with "Ready to code?" and a few choices under "Would you like to proceed?".

    Would you like to proceed?
❯ 1. Yes, and use auto mode
  2. Yes, manually approve edits
  3. Tell Claude what to change
    That's not what I see
    It asks "Would you like to proceed?" and I don't want to build anything.
    Press Esc. That closes the question without building anything, and you stay in plan mode. The choices that start with Yes would start building.
    The bar doesn't say plan mode on.
    Press Shift+Tab until it does, then paste the prompt again.

  4. Know what to do when auto mode blocks something

    The checker is a second model whose only job is to look at each action before it runs. Claude Code's guide lists what it blocks by default. A few you're likely to meet:

    • Downloading a program from the internet and running it.
    • Sending private information somewhere outside your computer.
    • Changing records, which control where a website's address points.
    • Putting changes live on a real website or app.
    • Deleting files for good that were there before the started.
    • Merging a change on that no person has approved.

    Some of these stay blocked even when you tell Claude "yes, do it." To get past one of those, you have to leave auto mode and give your own yes to the question Claude asks. That's on purpose. The more something matters, the more it needs a person to decide.

    If you tell Claude "don't do X" during a conversation, the checker treats that as a boundary too. For something that must never happen in a project, put it in , the way you did in Ground rules.

    Sooner or later, the checker will stop something, and Claude Code tells you when it does.

    1. Read what Claude was trying to do. Don't treat the block as an error.
    2. Decide. Usually the block was right. If it wasn't, and you understand the action, the snags under this step show how to give your own yes.
    AI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordsDNS The settings that tell the internet where your domain's website and email live. All wordssession One conversation with Claude Code, from when you start it until you leave. All wordsGitHub A website that keeps a copy of your git project, with every version saved. Your backup, and where changes get reviewed. All wordsCLAUDE.md A note to Claude about how to work in this project. Claude Code reads it at the start of every session in that folder. All words
    That's not what I see
    Claude says an action was blocked, and I really did want it.
    Read what it wanted to do first. If it's still right, type /permissions and press Enter. Press the left arrow key once to open Recently denied. Pick the action with the down arrow, then press r to try it again with your own yes.
    Claude keeps getting blocked.
    After a few blocks in a row, Claude Code goes back to asking you each time. Read each question. If it keeps wanting something you don't understand, ask it: Why do you need to do that?
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Which one, when

  • Auto for everyday work in your own projects.
  • Manual for anything touching money, other people, information, or anything that's live.
  • Plan when you want to see the whole job before any of it happens, especially something big or new.
Backyard The folder right inside your home folder where everything you build in these lessons lives. All wordsclient The business you're building for, even if it's a friend's and nobody is paying yet. All words
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Your challenge

Next time you start something that touches money, other people or anything live, press Shift+Tab until the bar says manual mode on before you type your first message. Notice what Claude asks you.

Last checked 2026-10-17

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