Settings
Every AutoMode setting and default: the config.json keys, the /plugin configure options, and the order in which config, plugin settings and env apply.
Where settings come from
Lowest first. A later source wins.
config.json
The shipped config.json, or your own copy in ~/.claude/plugins/data/automode/config.json.
Plugin settings
/plugin configure automode@automode. Every routing and guardian option defaults to default, which means "follow config.json", so an untouched option never overrides the shipped profile.
Environment switches
AUTOMODE_ROUTER, AUTOMODE_POLICY, AUTOMODE_GUARDIAN and AUTOMODE_GUARDIAN_CONFIG. See Environment variables.
The main keys
| Key | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
activation | always | always: AutoMode starts with every session. picker: only when the model ID is pickerModel. |
pickerModel | claude-sonnet-5-5[1m] | The model ID for activation: picker. Claude Code 2.1.311 strips the suffix, so use always. |
mode | auto | auto routes. shadow records what it would route. off does not route. |
policy | auto | The routing policy. legacy is the earlier interval optimizer. |
defaultPath | direct | workflow sends every standard task through the workflow. |
autoWorkflow | false | true lets the router enter the workflow by itself. am:run works either way. |
reachHaiku | true | T0 to T2 work without critical risk can run on Haiku. false: Haiku needs T0 and a Haiku verdict. |
learning | true | A kind of task that needed rescue in this project starts on Opus next time. It only raises a route. |
reviewPolicy | risk | always adds a review to every change. |
maxConcurrency | 1 | Workstreams built at once, at most 2. |
blockGitWritesWhenActive | true | Deny git writes from subagents. |
delegation | off | on: a full read of a large file stops once, with an outline and a cheap extract tool. shadow: records what the gate would do. |
delegationGateTokens | 5000 | The file size, in estimated tokens, at which the read gate acts. |
recordDecisions | true | Keep routing records in the data folder. They hold no prompt text. |
debugLog | false | Write decisions to judge-log.jsonl in the plugin folder. |
allowUnverifiedProviders | false | Route on Vertex, Bedrock, Foundry or a gateway. Otherwise the router runs in shadow there. |
judgeModel | haiku | The model of the judges. |
judgeTimeoutMs | 8000 | How long a judge may take before the prompt goes on without it. |
strategy | v6c | The execution strategy. See below. |
guardian | { "mode": "auto", … } | See The guardian. |
Plugin settings
Run /plugin configure automode@automode. Each routing option defaults to default.
| Option | Choices | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Router mode | auto, shadow, off | Whether AutoMode routes. AUTOMODE_ROUTER still wins. |
| Routing policy | auto, legacy | auto: the effortless judges with the joint optimizer. |
| Route models | on, off | off routes effort only and keeps the model you picked. |
| Completion gate | off, report, block | report records whether the work showed its stated results. block also sends the model back once per task when that evidence is missing. |
| Route learning | on, off | See Route learning. |
| Delegated reads | off, shadow, on | See Delegated reads. |
| Executor | judge, sonnet | sonnet: Sonnet runs the task, and a pin, a floor or a repeated failure can still move it. |
| Strong evidence step | model, effort-first | effort-first: strong failure evidence raises effort on the running model once per failure, unless a critical-risk floor needs the model. |
| Opus consult | always, priced | priced: a read-only Opus architect is asked only when that costs less than moving the session. |
| Consult packet | basic, rich, fork-gated | What the consult receives. |
| Fork diagnosis rung | off, on | Before the Opus consult, a fork that shares the warm cache diagnoses the failure without editing. |
| Execution strategy | legacy, v6a, v6b, v6c | v6c: a fresh rescue builder replaces a model switch on a large context. See the v6 report. |
| Start route, Recovery, Review rule | Parts of the strategy you can set one by one. | |
| Builder subagent from the start | off, on | Experimental. Non-trivial work goes to one builder subagent at the routed model. |
| Haiku first on T3 work | off, t3 | Off by default. In the proof runs, t3 cost more than Sonnet high. |
| Opus at the start | judge, evidence | evidence: T3 work starts on Sonnet high, and Opus comes only from failure evidence. |
| Subagents in every session | on, off | Route built-in subagents in every session. An explicit model is always kept. |
| Guardian, Guardian in every session, Hard pause, Auto compact, Reduce long outputs | See The guardian. | |
| Layout, Theme, Appearance, Bar metrics | See What the bar shows. |
/automode settings prints the settings in force, and where to change each one.
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AutoMode vs Claude Code auto mode
Claude Code auto mode is a built-in permission mode. AutoMode is a free plugin that picks the model and effort for each prompt. Here is how they differ.
Commands
The /automode slash commands: status, details, on and off, the setup checklist, settings, a debug report for bug issues, help, and the usage report.