Auto-memory: undocumented autoDreamEnabled + no recall-only mode (read without autonomous writes)

Type: Docs bug + feature gap

This was auto-duped from #69429 → #52706 by the duplicate bot. #52706 is
closed NOT_PLANNED and only asks for confirm-on-write. This issue is the
two parts that dup does not address; filing narrowly so it isn't
re-folded into the write-gate cluster.

1. Docs bug: autoDreamEnabled is undocumented

autoDreamEnabled appears in the settings JSON schema (background
"memory consolidation") but has no entry at code.claude.com/docs. Its
semantics, default, and relationship to mid-session memory writes are
unspecified, so users can't reason about it.

Also undocumented: the trigger for when Claude decides to write a
memory mid-session. Without it, users can't predict or shape the behavior.

2. Feature gap: no recall-only mode

autoMemoryEnabled is binary. Per the docs, false means Claude
"does not read from or write to the auto memory directory" — so there's
no way to keep cross-session recall while disabling autonomous,
mid-session writes.

• true → recall + autonomous writes (unwanted)
• false → no writes, but also no recall

Requested: decouple read from write, or add a mode —

• read-only (recall yes, no writes), or
• manual (writes only when the user explicitly asks; recall stays on).

Net goal: read = yes, user-requested write = yes, autonomous write = no.
This differs from #52706/#38118, which keep the write path and only gate
it — neither preserves recall while turning autonomous writes fully off.

Environment

Claude Code, Opus 4.8 (1M context).
Refs: settings docs, memory docs.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code