The Default Permission Mode on a Fresh Pro-Plan Session
A developer on a Claude Code Pro plan opens a brand-new terminal session in a project they've never used Claude Code in before, and hasn't changed any settings.
Which permission mode does that session start in by default, and how does it handle risky actions?
The correct answer is "Auto mode, with a background classifier reviewing risky actions."
On Pro, Max, and Team plans, Auto is the built-in starting mode for
terminal and VS Code sessions. Instead of stopping to ask the
developer before each action, a separate classifier model reviews
actions in the background and blocks a defined set of risky categories
(force-pushes, production deploys and migrations, curl | bash-style
remote execution, mass deletions, and similar), while letting routine
local work — reading files, editing files in the project, installing
declared dependencies — proceed without interrupting the developer.
Manual mode is the default on Enterprise plans and for Console API keys, not on Pro — so it's a tempting but incorrect answer for this scenario. Bypass Permissions is never a default; it must be deliberately selected, and is meant for disposable containers, not a first session on a real project. Plan mode is also opt-in, not a starting default for any plan tier.
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