# Autonomy modes

The pill on the left of the composer sets how much an agent does before it stops to ask you — for this session only. It starts from your onboarding default and you can change it any time.

## The modes

- Ask permissions (1) — the safest mode. The agent pauses for your approval before every file edit and command.
- Accept edits (2) — file edits apply on their own; the agent still asks before running anything risky.
- Auto mode (3) — the agent works end-to-end and only stops when it needs a real decision from you.
- Bypass permissions (4) — nothing is gated. The pill turns amber as a reminder that approvals are off.

## Per session, not global

The pill changes the mode for the current conversation and is remembered on that session. New sessions start from the machine-wide default you picked during onboarding — see Choosing an autonomy default.

> Where's Plan mode?Planning isn’t an autonomy tier — it’s the /plan slash command, which asks the agent to outline the work before writing any code. Reach for it when you want to review the approach first, regardless of your autonomy setting.

> Start cautiousNew to a workflow? Stay on Ask permissions until you trust it, then raise autonomy where it saves you time.