# Deciding how much to hand over

> **What you will learn**
> The four autonomy levels you choose when handing over a task, and which
> situation each suits.

## The four levels

When you direct a task you **also choose the width of its autonomy.**

| Choice | How it behaves |
|---|---|
| **Fully automatic** (default) | runs to the end without stopping to ask |
| **Auto-approve file edits** | file changes proceed unasked; everything else confirms as needed |
| **Plan only** | shows you a plan and does not execute |
| **Standard** | Claude Code's own default behaviour |

## When to use each

### Plan only — first time, or risky

```
Use when:
  □ it's your first time working in this folder
  □ you have no feel for what it will touch
  □ the work is hard to undo (migrations, bulk edits)
  □ you have to show someone else the plan
```

**It is safe because nothing executes.** It also produces nothing.

### Auto-approve file edits — the recommended starting point

File changes happen on their own; anything else (running commands and so on)
asks for confirmation. It draws the line between what can be undone and what
cannot.

> If you use git, file changes are generally reversible. That is what makes this
> level the balance point between safety and convenience.

**It is not the default, so you have to select it.** See the box below.

### Fully automatic — this is the default. Which is why you must be careful

> **If you choose nothing when creating a task, you get this level.**
> It runs to the end without stopping to ask, so for a folder you are new to, or
> work that is hard to undo, always change it to something else.

```
Use when:
  □ you've done this type of work several times with stable results
  □ nobody is watching, as with scheduled runs
  □ failure has small consequences

Do not use when:
  □ it's a type of work you're doing for the first time
  □ it affects production
  □ it's hard to undo
```

### Standard — Claude Code as-is

Exactly how you have always used Claude Code. For **people who are already
comfortable with it.**

## How to climb

```mermaid
graph TD
  A["Plan only<br/>run it a few times"] --> B["Do the results match expectations?"]
  B -->|"yes"| C["Auto-approve file edits"]
  B -->|"no"| D["Fix the instruction"]
  D --> A
  C --> E["Have you done this type several times?"]
  E -->|"yes"| F["Fully automatic"]
```

**Do not go straight to fully automatic.** Checking the results at each step and
climbing is faster — because there is no incident to clean up.

## Different per working directory

This is why [splitting working directories](/guide/ht-working-directory) by risk
was suggested.

| Folder | Default autonomy |
|---|---|
| Experimental / personal projects | fully automatic |
| Work projects | auto-approve file edits |
| Anywhere with production deployment scripts | plan only |

Set a different default per folder and **the right level applies without you
choosing every time.**

## Autonomy and safety nets are separate

Raising autonomy and having safety nets are two different things.

```
High autonomy  +  safety nets     → fast and safe
High autonomy  +  no safety nets  → dangerous
Low autonomy   +  no safety nets  → slow and anxious
```

Safety nets look like this:

```
□ commit before starting
□ keep the working directory narrow
□ never register a folder holding production data
□ the habit of checking results
```

**With safety nets you can raise autonomy**, because you can undo.

## Common misconceptions

### "Isn't fully automatic just the best?"

**Fast and good are different.** Set fully automatic on a type of work you are
doing for the first time and
[the agent goes just as hard in the wrong direction](/guide/ai-agent-basics).
With no checkpoint, you find out later.

### "Isn't plan only a waste, since there's no output?"

The time spent reading the plan and fixing the instruction is shorter than the
time spent undoing something executed wrongly. Especially for the first few runs.

---

## Check yourself

**1. Which level do you get if you choose nothing?**

<details>
<summary>Answer</summary>

**Fully automatic.** It runs to the end without stopping to ask, so for a folder
you are new to or work that is hard to undo you must change it. The balance point
between safety and convenience is **auto-approve file edits**, but you have to
select that yourself.
</details>

**2. How should you climb through autonomy levels?**

<details>
<summary>Answer</summary>

**Plan only → auto-approve file edits → fully automatic**, checking at each step
that the results match expectations. Going straight to fully automatic costs more
in incident cleanup.
</details>

**3. Under what condition is it fine to raise autonomy?**

<details>
<summary>Answer</summary>

**When safety nets exist** — commit before starting, a narrow working directory,
production data excluded, the habit of checking results. If you can undo it, you
can raise autonomy.
</details>

---

Next, the always-open command window → [The terminal](/guide/ht-terminal)