Common setups

Permission modes decide whether Claude asks before an action, and the Bash sandbox and outer isolation boundaries decide what an action can reach once it runs. Each row below pairs a goal with the flags or settings that get you there and the isolation it needs, as a starting point. Available modes lists what runs without a prompt in each mode.

You want to	Start with	Isolation needed	Notes
Review every action yourself	Manual mode: claude --permission-mode default	None	Sensitive work, unfamiliar code
Iterate locally with fewer prompts, without a classifier	Manual mode plus the Bash sandbox in auto-allow mode: claude --permission-mode default, then run /sandbox and select auto-allow	The built-in Bash sandbox, on macOS, Linux, and WSL2	Deny rules still apply, and ask rules that name a command, such as Bash(git push *), still prompt. To turn the sandbox on from a settings file instead, set sandbox.enabled to true
Explore before changing anything	claude --permission-mode plan	None	Claude Code blocks edits until you approve a plan
Work hands-off in auto mode	claude --permission-mode auto, the built-in starting permission mode on Pro, Max, and Team	None; a sandbox or container adds defense in depth	Requires a supported model, and your organization can turn auto mode off
Run in CI with an exact allowlist	claude -p "run the test suite" --permission-mode dontAsk --allowedTools "Bash(npm test)" "Read"	None beyond what your CI runner provides	Claude Code on the web ignores dontAsk from settings files
Run fully unattended inside a container	claude -p "<prompt>" --dangerously-skip-permissions	Required: a container, VM, or the sandbox runtime; on Linux and macOS, run it as a non-root user	Claude Code on the web ignores this mode from settings files. In this -p run, the few calls that would still prompt are denied instead

The Bash sandbox and auto mode work independently and combine, except in plan mode, where auto-allow doesn't widen approvals. For the full interaction, see How sandboxing relates to permissions and permission modes and How isolation relates to permission modes.

Which mode a session starts in

When you start a new session in a terminal, Claude Code takes the permission mode from the first of these that applies:

1. The --permission-mode flag, or --dangerously-skip-permissions

2. permissions.defaultMode in a settings file

   If you set "auto" in .claude/settings.json or .claude/settings.local.json, the value doesn't take effect, and Claude Code then uses the built-in default rather than a defaultMode from ~/.claude/settings.json. If you set "bypassPermissions" in those two files, it doesn't take effect either, and the session starts in Manual mode. The other values apply from any settings file.

3. The built-in default

Conversations the VS Code extension starts follow the extension's own list in Switch permission modes. For the permission mode Claude Code starts a resumed session in, see permission mode on resume.

The built-in auto default requires Claude Code v2.1.228 or later on macOS, Linux, and WSL, and v2.1.233 or later on native Windows. On earlier versions, the built-in default is Manual.

The built-in default depends on how you run Claude Code, on your plan, and on whether Claude Code could fetch its feature flags. The first row that matches your session applies. The table covers sessions you start in a terminal or through the VS Code extension; for the desktop app and claude.ai, see the Desktop and Web tabs in Switch permission modes.

How you run Claude Code	Built-in starting permission mode
Any settings file sets disableAutoMode to "disable"	default
Feature-flag fetching is off	default
Your first session after you install Claude Code or upgrade to a version that adds this default, unless, after a fresh install, Claude Code fetches the flags in time	default
claude -p or the Agent SDK	default
Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform, Microsoft Foundry, Claude Platform on AWS, or a signed-in Claude apps gateway session	default
A Pro, Max, or Team plan, in a terminal or through the VS Code extension	auto
An Enterprise plan or a Claude Console API key	default

When feature-flag fetching is off, or in a first session after an install or upgrade where the flags haven't arrived yet, the VS Code extension ignores every settings file when choosing the starting permission mode.

When the flag, a settings file, or the built-in default selects auto but auto mode isn't available to the session, Claude Code starts the session in Manual instead. Auto mode is unavailable when the session doesn't meet the availability requirements, such as a settings file turning it off or a model that doesn't support it, or when Anthropic has temporarily turned it off server-side.

The first time the built-in default starts one of your sessions in auto mode, Claude Code shows a notice that links to this page:

• In a terminal, once, at the top of the session
• In the VS Code extension, as a card on the new-conversation screen that stays until you dismiss it

On Pro, Max, and Team plans, if your ~/.claude/settings.json sets a defaultMode other than auto and no other settings file sets one, your sessions keep starting in that mode. Claude Code asks once, in the terminal or in the VS Code extension, whether to change the setting to auto mode. If you decline, your setting stays as it is.

Start in a different permission mode

You can set the starting permission mode for one session, or as a default for every session on a machine, in a project, or in an organization. When more than one settings file sets permissions.defaultMode, settings precedence decides, so a project or managed value outranks ~/.claude/settings.json. To change the permission mode of a session that's already running, see Switch permission modes.

To set the starting permission mode for	Do this
One session you're about to start	Pass the permission mode as a flag, for example claude --permission-mode default
Every terminal session you start on this machine	Set permissions.defaultMode in ~/.claude/settings.json. For what the VS Code extension reads, see Switch permission modes
Every terminal session you start in one project	Set permissions.defaultMode in the project's .claude/settings.json. Sessions you start in a terminal honor every value except auto and bypassPermissions; sessions the VS Code extension starts don't read project settings for the starting permission mode
Every terminal session in your organization	Set permissions.defaultMode in managed settings. Terminal sessions start in that mode and people can still switch to auto mode; for what the VS Code extension reads, see Switch permission modes. To remove auto mode so nobody can select it, set permissions.disableAutoMode to "disable" instead

This example makes every terminal session on your machine start in Manual mode, whose config value is default. Save it in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "permissions": {
    "defaultMode": "default"
  }
}

The next session you start shows ⏸ manual mode on in the status bar.