Claude Code auto mode is the default for new Pro, Max, and Team sessions as of today.
Anthropic's permission-modes docs state it: starting 14 Aug 2026, new sessions on Pro, Max, and Team start in auto mode.1 A one-time switch prompt appears if you never set a default; a defaultMode you already chose stays unless you accept that prompt; org-managed defaults do not move.1
Auto is a classifier, not YOLO. Deny and ask rules still win; unlisted actions go through a separate model that blocks escalation, unknown infrastructure, and prompt-injection-shaped moves.1 Default surprise: pushes to any branch of the working repo — including main — and PR creation are allowed; force-push, secrets in commits, and history rewrites stay soft-blocked.1 Claude Code 2.1.232 also turns subagent forking on by default and lets you @ another live session on the same machine.2
If you never set a default, decide before the next session: keep auto and pin ask rules on git push / gh pr create, or set "defaultMode": "manual" in ~/.claude/settings.json. Org admins who want the old baseline set permissions.disableAutoMode to disable.
Deeper — who is affected and how to pin
- Only new sessions; existing
defaultModesurvives the one-time prompt unless you accept it.1 - Auto needs a supported model (Opus 4.6+, Sonnet 4.6+, Fable 5 on Anthropic; provider-specific floors on Bedrock/Foundry/gateway).1
- Per session:
Shift+Taborclaude --permission-mode manual. Persistent:~/.claude/settings.json— repo settings cannot grant auto to themselves.1 - v2.1.232:
subagent_type: "fork"inherits conversation + prompt cache; non-teammate spawns background by default; cross-sessionSendMessageby bare name.2