Set acceptEdits Mode to Skip File-Write Prompts

Clicking "Allow" every time Claude wants to write a file gets old fast. But handing over bash approval with --dangerously-skip-permissions feels like too much. acceptEdits is the mode most people don't know exists.

// ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "defaultMode": "acceptEdits"
}

With acceptEdits active, Claude can freely create, edit, and delete files without stopping to ask. It will still pause and ask for your approval before running any bash or shell command. That means no surprise rm -rf calls, no rogue git push, but also no endless clicking through file-write confirmations.

There are actually five permission modes in Claude Code:

• default — asks before every file write and bash command
• acceptEdits — auto-approves file edits, still asks for bash
• plan — read-only, Claude can look but cannot touch anything
• auto — an AI classifier watches each action and decides in real time
• bypassPermissions — skips all checks, for isolated sandboxes only

You can set acceptEdits as your default in ~/.claude/settings.json (as shown above), or cycle to it mid-session by pressing Shift+Tab until you see the mode label change.

It is a solid default for day-to-day coding where you trust Claude with the files but want a human in the loop before anything runs on your machine.

acceptEdits gives you the speed of automation with a safety net where it actually matters — bash commands.

via @xankriegor_