Understand and start in a permission mode
permissions & tools
// what it does
A permission mode sets the baseline for what Claude may do without asking. default reads files only; acceptEdits also writes and auto-approves common filesystem commands (mkdir, touch, mv, cp); plan is read-only and produces a plan before editing; dontAsk allows only pre-approved tools; bypassPermissions allows everything except protected directories. Start in one with --permission-mode, or cycle with Shift+Tab.
// shell
$ claude --permission-mode plan$ claude --permission-mode acceptEdits// gotcha
Regardless of mode, writes to .git, .vscode, .idea, .husky, and .claude still prompt (except .claude/commands, .claude/agents, and .claude/skills). acceptEdits still stops for non-filesystem shell commands and network requests unless you add an allow rule.