Permissions and Manual mode

This lesson is still being tested: it improves with learners' feedback. If something is unclear, it is the lesson that needs fixing, not you.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to

read a permission request from Claude Code and decide knowing what you are doing;
refuse an action without damaging anything, then rephrase your request;
say what each mode changes, and why you learn in Manual mode;
spot the permissions you should never give lightly.

Why it matters to you

An agent that acts in your files is powerful, as long as you stay the boss. Permissions are your steering wheel: you see every action that changes something before it happens, and you are the one who says yes or no. Understanding them well lets you go faster later without taking risks.

Before you start


You need	Claude Code installed and your mon-espace-ia folder open in Manual mode (lesson 2)
Duration	35 minutes
Cost	Included in your subscription (without buying extra usage credits)

Understand it in 3 minutes

A permission request appears when Claude Code wants to create or change a file, or run a command that does more than read. It says what (the file, the command) and offers you to allow or reject. For a change, the app shows you what changes before you accept.

Rejecting breaks nothing. The file stays as it is, and the agent waits for another instruction.

The modes, according to the documentation on 24/10/2026:

Mode	What is done without asking you	Who it is for
Manual	Reading only	Learning, and any task where you want to see everything
Accept edits	Reading, file changes, and commands on the files in your folder (create, move, copy, and even delete)	Later, on a folder with no risk
Plan	Reading and exploration commands; changes wait until you approve a plan	Preparing a job before launching it
Auto	Everything, with an automatic check in the background	Advanced users, on tasks they master
Bypass permissions	Almost everything, without asking	Never while learning: reserved for isolated environments

These names are the ones shown in the Claude app for Mac (version 3.6556.2, read on 24/10/2026) and used in the official documentation.

You will not necessarily see all these modes in the selector: according to the documentation, Bypass permissions only appears if you turn it on in the settings, and Auto only appears if it is available to you. If one is missing, it is not an error, and for getting started it is just fine.

The right reflex: before allowing, read the request. If you do not understand what it will do, reject it and ask: “Explain to me what this action does.”

Never allow lightly. Stop and read twice when a request:

deletes or replaces files (in Accept edits mode, some deletions no longer even ask for your approval);
runs a command you do not understand;
touches a file outside your working folder;
installs a program;
sends or publishes something outside: a message, a file, a post;
pushes you to choose “Always allow” or to change mode, just to go faster.

You can say yes to these requests, but only after understanding what they do. If in doubt, reject.

Do it together

1Step 1: A first request, rejected

In your mon-espace-ia folder, in Manual mode, write:

Create a file called a-faire.md with three things I could do with you this week.

Claude Code shows you the file it wants to create and asks for your permission. Reject. Look at your folder: no file was created.

2Step 2: The same one, accepted

Write:

OK, create it after all, but with only two ideas, and short sentences.

Read the new proposal, then allow. Open the file a-faire.md: it is there, with the content you approved.

3Step 3: A change

Write:

Add a third idea to a-faire.md: prepare my next training session.

Before allowing, look at what the app shows you: the line that is added. Allow, then check the file.

Your turn

Your rules file. Ask Claude Code to create a file mes-regles.md that contains your three working rules with it, for example:

always tell me what you are going to do before doing it;
never delete a file;
ask me a question when you hesitate.

For each permission request: read it, then decide. Reject at least once a proposal that does not suit you, and explain why.

Check your work

It worked if:

you rejected at least one action, and saw that nothing had changed;
a-faire.md and mes-regles.md contain exactly what you approved;
you can say, without looking, what is done without asking in Manual mode.

Common mistakes:

allowing without reading, out of habit: it is the number one trap;
choosing “Always allow” to go faster right from the start: keep it for later, for actions you know well;
changing mode to “unblock” a situation: reject instead, and rephrase your request.

Keep it and pick it up later

Keep mes-regles.md: in module 5, your rules will go into your instructions file CLAUDE.md, which Claude Code rereads at every session. In lesson 4, this file will stay in your trial folder, mon-espace-ia-essais: that is where you will find it.

Going further

optional

The official documentation of the modes, in English: code.claude.com/docs/en/permission-modes.

New words

4 words explained

Word	What it means
Permission request	Claude Code’s message that shows an action and waits for your agreement
Mode	The setting that decides what the agent does without asking you
Plan mode	The agent prepares a plan, and acts only after your approval
Isolated environment	A computer or space separate from yours, where a mistake cannot damage anything

Still to verify: the location of the modes and buttons on the screen, in a real screenshot.