[FEATURE] CLAUDE_CODE_PERMISSION_MODE env var

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

permissions.defaultMode can be set in user, project, or managed settings, but there's no env-var override. When a managed policy sets a default mode org-wide, individual users can't personalize without --permission-mode per invocation or a shell alias.

Proposed Solution

Add CLAUDE_CODE_PERMISSION_MODE env var, mirroring CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL's precedence and semantics. Accepts the values of permissions.defaultMode.

Alternative Solutions

• --permission-mode <mode> flag per invocation
• Shell alias wrapping claude

Priority

Low - Nice to have

Feature Category

Configuration and settings

Use Case Example

Org sets permissions.defaultMode: default via managed settings; user prefers acceptEdits locally. With env var: export CLAUDE_CODE_PERMISSION_MODE=acceptEdits in shell rc.

Additional Context

_No response_