Allow customizing chat:cycleMode permission mode list

Status Closed — not planned

Maintainer reply None cached

Activity 8 comments · opened Mar 9, 2026 · closed Jun 21, 2026

Feature Request

Shift+Tab (chat:cycleMode) currently cycles through only 3 hardcoded permission modes: default → acceptEdits → plan.

The dontAsk mode is excluded from the cycle and can only be set via /config or settings.json. For users who frequently switch between dontAsk and other modes during a session, this is inconvenient.

Proposal

Allow users to customize which modes chat:cycleMode includes, for example in ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "cycleModes": ["default", "acceptEdits", "dontAsk"]
}

Or alternatively, add a new keybinding action like chat:setMode(dontAsk) that can be bound to a specific key combo in keybindings.json.

Use Case

Users who work in dontAsk mode most of the time but occasionally want to switch to plan or default for review
The current workaround (opening /config menu) breaks flow compared to a quick Shift+Tab toggle

Environment

Claude Code on macOS (CLI)
Permission mode: dontAsk set as default in settings.json

View original on GitHub ↗

7 Comments

github-actions[bot] · 5 months ago

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

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rssprivacy-commits · 5 months ago

This is not a duplicate of the linked issues. Here's why:

#8292 / #29961 are about filtering built-in modes out of the cycle (e.g., skipping acceptEdits if you never use it). The cycle still only rotates through the hardcoded built-in modes.
#31448 is about the defaultMode setting not being respected when cycling — a bug/inconsistency in how the cycle interacts with config.

This issue (#32604) has a distinct proposal that none of the above cover:

A parameterized keybinding action like chat:setMode(dontAsk) that can be bound to a specific key combo in keybindings.json.

This is fundamentally different from cycle customization — it's about direct mode switching via dedicated shortcuts, bypassing the cycle entirely. For example, binding Ctrl+1 → default, Ctrl+2 → dontAsk, Ctrl+3 → plan — no cycling needed at all.

The configurable cycleModes array proposed here also differs from #29961 in that it allows adding modes not in the default cycle (like dontAsk), whereas #29961 only discusses removing modes from the existing set.

k-thornton · 4 months ago

This appears to be the only open issue representing what's been requested across several closed/locked issues (#8292, #15747, #31448, #35251, #43281). Upvoting to keep it visible.

My specific need is simple: I launch with "defaultMode": "dontAsk" and once I Shift+Tab out of it, I can't cycle back without restarting the session. Just including dontAsk in the default cycle is sufficient for my needs, but I understand why it would be helpful to be able to specify your own cycle + dedicated keyboard shortcuts.

Doryski · 4 months ago

+1 for this. My specific use case: I only ever want to toggle between Plan Mode and Bypass Permissions — I never use default or acceptEdits interactively. Every Shift+Tab cycle forces me through two modes I don't want, and it's easy to accidentally land on the wrong one.

A configurable cycleModes array (e.g. ["plan", "bypassPermissions"]) in settings.json would fully solve this. Dedicated shortcuts like chat:setMode(plan) would be even better, but the array alone would be a big UX win.

donataskasp · 3 months ago

+1 on this. My workflow only uses plan and bypassPermissions — cycling through the other three modes on every shift+tab adds friction with no upside. Configurable cycle list would fix it cleanly.

github-actions[bot] · 2 months ago

Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.

tmccombs · 2 months ago

Why isn't there any warning before an issue is closed?

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