Default Permission Mode - Claude Code

Default mode asks before every consequential action - file writes, shell commands, network calls. It's the safest way to run Claude Code.

What it does

Each time Claude wants to use a tool that could change your machine or state, you see a prompt: allow, deny, or allow-with-rule. If you add a rule, future identical calls skip the prompt. It's the "new driver" mode - slow but hard to wreck anything with.

When to use it

• First session on a new project or machine.
• Running a prompt you don't fully trust (random template, unfamiliar skill).
• Working on production systems, infra, or anything costly.
• Teaching a new teammate how Claude Code interacts with their repo.

Gotchas

• Constant prompts are friction. Graduate to accept-edits or dontask once you've built up a rule set.
• Approvals are session-scoped unless you promote them to permission rules.
• "Allow all once" doesn't save anything. Use it sparingly.

Official docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/permission-modes.md