Autonomy modes

How much the agent does without asking. Three settings, one toggle.

The three modes

Set in Settings → Behavior → Autonomy.

Manual

The agent never proposes diffs. It can read, search, explain, and reason — but every code change must be initiated by you (Inline diff, Stage diff button, or a File AI action).

Use this when:

  • You're exploring a new codebase.
  • You want maximum control.
  • You're on a strict budget cap.

Hybrid (default)

The agent proposes diffs. You always review before anything is applied. The Changes panel always opens for confirmation.

This is the recommended mode for everyday work.

Autonomous

The agent applies diffs automatically when:

  • The change is below the per-task budget cap.
  • All guards pass (write, hallucination, egress).
  • "Always show diff before apply" is off.

If "Always show diff before apply" is on, you'll still see the diff first — just like Hybrid mode — but the apply button is one click instead of hunk-by-hunk.

Autonomous mode can rack up cost fast. Set a sensible Max cost / day cap before enabling it.

Per-run override

In the planner, you can override the workspace default for a single run. Click the autonomy chip next to the Send button.

What "always show diff" means

A separate checkbox under Behavior. When checked, even Autonomous mode pauses for diff review. The benefit is one-click apply (vs. hunk-by-hunk in Hybrid). The risk is reduced — you can always reject.

Guard interaction

Even in Autonomous mode, guards are always on. A write that fails the write guard is rejected. A change with hallucinated symbols is flagged in the receipt. PII is redacted from frames.

See Guards.