Approval Mode

Control what proto is allowed to do automatically versus what requires your explicit approval.

Modes

Mode	File edits	Shell commands	Best for
Plan	❌ Read-only	❌ Not executed	Exploration, planning, safe review
Default	✅ Approval required	✅ Approval required	Most development work
Auto-Edit	✅ Auto-approved	✅ Approval required	Daily coding tasks
YOLO	✅ Auto-approved	✅ Auto-approved	CI/CD, trusted automation

[!tip] Press Shift+Tab (or Tab on Windows) during a session to cycle through modes. The current mode is shown in the status bar.

Switch modes

During a session


/approval-mode plan
/approval-mode default
/approval-mode auto-edit
/approval-mode yolo

Or use Shift+Tab to cycle: Default → Auto-Edit → YOLO → Plan → Default.

Set a persistent default


// .proto/settings.json (project) or ~/.proto/settings.json (global)
{
  "permissions": {
    "defaultMode": "auto-edit"
  }
}

From the CLI


proto --approval-mode auto-edit -p "Refactor the auth module"
proto --yolo -p "Run tests and fix failures"

Plan mode

Use for understanding a codebase before making changes, or when you want to discuss an approach without any risk of edits.


/approval-mode plan


What files would need to change if I added OAuth2 support?

proto reads files, analyzes the codebase, and answers — but writes nothing.

Default mode

The standard mode. proto proposes each file edit and shell command individually; you approve or reject each one.


/approval-mode default

Auto-Edit mode

File edits happen automatically; shell commands still require approval. Good for refactoring tasks where you trust the edits but want to review commands.


/approval-mode auto-edit

YOLO mode

Everything auto-approved. Use in CI pipelines or for trusted automation in controlled environments.

[!warning] YOLO mode runs shell commands with your full user permissions without confirmation. Only use in environments you fully trust and control.


proto --yolo -p "Run the tests and fix all failures, then commit"

Configuration reference


{
  "permissions": {
    "defaultMode": "auto-edit",
    "confirmShellCommands": true,
    "confirmFileEdits": false
  }
}