Auto Mode: should only auto-approve tool calls, not inject behavioral overrides

Status Fixed / completed
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 3 comments · opened Apr 29, 2026 · closed Apr 29, 2026

Problem

When I enable Auto Mode, a system prompt is silently injected that changes the AI's reasoning behavior:

  1. Execute immediately — Start implementing right away. Make reasonable assumptions and proceed on low-risk work.
  2. Minimize interruptions — Prefer making reasonable assumptions over asking questions for routine decisions.
  3. Prefer action over planning — Do not enter plan mode unless the user explicitly asks.
  4. Expect course corrections
  5. Do not take overly destructive actions
  6. Avoid data exfiltration

My intent when enabling Auto Mode is simply to skip the tool permission/approval prompts — not to fundamentally change how the AI reasons, plans, or communicates.

Observed issues

These injected instructions cause the AI to:

  • Rush into implementation without confirming ambiguous requirements
  • Skip planning steps that would otherwise be appropriate
  • Make assumptions instead of asking clarifying questions
  • Acknowledge mid-response that it should confirm with the user, but never actually pause — it immediately proceeds because "Auto Mode is active"
  • Frequently take unsolicited next steps beyond what was asked

Suggestion

Auto Mode should only affect the tool permission layer (auto-approve tool calls), without injecting any system-level behavioral instructions. Let my CLAUDE.md and conversation context control the AI's working style. If behavioral hints must be kept, they should be opt-out or separately configurable from the permission setting.

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3 Comments

github-actions[bot] · 5 months ago

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

  1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/50331
  2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/51429
  3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/44318

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get951753 · 5 months ago

Closing as duplicate of #50331 — left a comment there with my use case.

github-actions[bot] · 5 months ago

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.