3.3 Code modes and extras
Info
⏱ Duration: ~25 min · 🎯 Goal: learn the 5 Code permission modes, when to level up, and the extras a non-developer can leverage (skills, plugins, connectors, scheduled tasks).
The 5 Code permission modes
The mode controls how much Claude asks before acting. Always start in Manual.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Manual (default) | Asks before editing files or running commands. You see a diff and accept/reject each change. Recommended for new users. |
| Accept edits | Auto-accepts file edits, but still asks before running other terminal commands. |
| Plan | Reads files and explores, then proposes a plan without editing your code. |
| Auto | Executes all actions with background safety checks; reduces permission prompts while maintaining oversight. Requires recent models. |
| Bypass permissions | Runs without asking. “Only use this in sandboxed containers or VMs.” |
Tip
Recommended progression (verbatim): “Start with Manual to see exactly what Claude does, then move to Accept edits or Plan as you get comfortable.”
Warning
Bypass permissions only in sandboxes or VMs. Never in your real working folder.
Non-dev extras
You don’t need to write code to get value from Code:
- Skills — type
/(or + → Slash commands) to invoke reusable prompts (checklists, review steps). The same skills you standardized in Week 1. - Plugins — install from + → Plugins, no terminal.
- Connectors — from + → Connectors: Google Calendar, Slack, GitHub, Linear, Notion and more.
- Code scheduled tasks — e.g. a daily review or a briefing that pulls from your connected tools.
- App preview with auto-verification — Claude starts the app, opens it in the Browser pane and tests its own work.
Code vs Cowork: which do I use?
- Code is for building: tools, pages, prototypes, with direct file access and your approval at each step.
- Cowork is for autonomous knowledge work. Verbatim: “Research, document editing, and spreadsheet work stay in Cowork.”
- Dispatch (from the Cowork tab) can open a Code session automatically when the task is build work; you’ll see it with a Dispatch badge.
✅ Checkpoint
You can name the 5 modes of Code, you know why you start in Manual and when to move up to Accept edits or Plan, and you know where skills, plugins and connectors live inside Code.