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How Claude asks permission
Last setup step — and most of it is already done for you. This lesson explains what Claude is allowed to do on your computer, how to see which setting you are in, and how to give it more or less rope whenever you want.
You are already in the right mode
On a Pro or Max plan, Claude Code normally starts in Auto mode. That means it edits files and runs commands without stopping to ask you each time. Behind the scenes, a second AI model checks the riskier things it is about to do — like running code downloaded from the internet or deleting files you already had — and blocks the dangerous ones. It cuts down the interruptions, but it will not catch everything, so keep reading what Claude says it is doing. If your very first session starts in Manual mode instead, where Claude asks before each step, that is normal.
That is why the rest of this course reads the way it does: you paste a prompt, Claude works, you look at the result. If you would rather watch every move — or have Claude talk you through a change before it touches a single file — there are three other settings to switch to. Here is the four you will actually use:
Auto — where you start
Claude edits files and runs commands; a background checker blocks the risky ones instead of asking you. This is what the course assumes throughout.
Plan — think first, touch nothing
Claude reads your files and writes out what it would do, in plain English, changing absolutely nothing until you approve.
Accept edits
Claude changes files freely but still asks you before running any command. Useful when you trust the writing but want a look at the machinery.
Manual
Claude asks before every single file change. Slow, but it shows you every move — worth an hour if you want to watch it work once.
How to see which one you are in
- Desktop app: next to the send button there is a small mode selector. It should already say Auto. If it doesn’t, click it and pick Auto. That is all this lesson asks of you.
- Terminal: sessions normally start in Auto mode. Press
Shift+Tabat any point to cycle through the settings; the bar along the bottom of the window tells you which one you are currently in.
Of the four, Plan is the one to keep in your pocket. Switch to it and Claude will read your files, work out an approach, and write it out for you in plain English — while changing nothing at all. When the plan is ready it asks how you would like to proceed, and you can send it back for another pass as many times as you like.
If you ever catch yourself thinking “wait, what is it about to do to my files?” — that is the answer. You will use it deliberately in Module 4, for the big build.
There is a setting called bypass permissions that switches every check off. You will see it recommended in older tutorials and in comment threads, which is exactly why it is worth naming here: Anthropic’s own written guidance is to use it only inside an isolated test machine, never on a computer you actually work on.
Your working computer holds client confidences. That is the whole reason this course names the setting once, tells you not to turn it on, and never mentions it again. Auto mode gives you the same smooth build with the safety net still underneath, and this course was written and tested entirely in Auto.
One more thing you don’t need yet, but should know exists. Claude quietly saves a checkpoint of your files before every message you send, and typing /rewind brings up a list you can roll back to. It is the fastest way out of “that change made it worse.” Module 4 teaches it properly, at the point where you will actually want it.
You have a Claude plan, the Claude app installed and signed in on the Code tab, Node and Git installed, an empty project folder open, and you can name the permission setting you are in and where to change it. That was the hardest part of the entire course, and it is behind you. Module 1 takes about half an hour and ends with Claude knowing your whole build plan.
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