Claude/Code/How To/Approve Actions Denied by the Auto Mode Classifier
How To Approve Actions Denied by the Auto Mode Classifier
Overview
- When Claude/Code runs in auto mode, a separate classifier model reviews tool calls and may block ones that escalate beyond the request, target unrecognized infrastructure, or look driven by hostile content. [1]
- Each blocked action shows a notification and lands under
/permissions → Recently denied. From that list, approve the action for the rest of this session, then retry the failed tool call so Claude actually runs it again under the new approval. [1] [2] - Use this when a shell or other tool call was blocked as Blocked by classifier and you still want that work to proceed in the current session.
Prerequisites
- Claude/Code in an interactive terminal session with auto mode available
- Status bar shows
auto mode on (cycle with Shift+Tab if needed) [1] - At least one action already denied by the classifier in this session
Steps
1. Open the permissions dialog
- Run
/permissions. - Tabs include Recently denied, Allow, Ask, Deny, Auto mode, and Workspace. [3]
2. Open Recently denied
- Select the Recently denied tab.
- Header text: "Commands recently denied by the auto mode classifier."
- Each row shows the description Claude wrote for the tool call and the status Blocked by classifier. [2]
- Example list (anonymized — your labels will differ):
- 1. Probe the remote build host over SSH
- 2. Update known_hosts for the new address
- 3. Verify passwordless sudo on the staging host
- 4. First SSH to the staging host
3. Approve the blocked action for this session
- Use
↑ / ↓ to highlight a row. - Press Enter to approve — the action is added to this session's approval list so matching work can proceed without waiting on the classifier again for that approval.
- Legend at the bottom of the tab:
Enter to approve · r to retry · ↑/↓ to navigate · Esc to cancel.
4. Retry the failed action now that it is allowed
- With the same row still highlighted (or after approving several rows), press
r to mark that denial for retry. [1] [2] - Exit the dialog (
Esc or finish the approvals). Claude Code then tells the model it may retry that tool call and resumes the conversation — so the previously blocked command runs again under the session approval you just granted. [2] - Approving alone does not re-run the failed call;
r is what queues the retry after the allow is in place. - Press Esc without
r if you only wanted the session allow and will ask Claude to continue in chat instead.
5. Confirm on the Allow tab (optional)
- Switch to the Allow tab and confirm the approved entry appears for this session.
- Session approvals from this flow last for the current session; for a lasting rule, add an allow rule or trusted-infrastructure entry instead (next step).
6. If the same destination keeps getting blocked
- Add the host, domain, or registry to
autoMode.environment, or run /auto-mode-setup, then confirm with claude auto-mode config. [2] - Or add a narrow
permissions.allow rule from the Auto mode / allow-rule UI when you want that command class without classifier review going forward. [2] [3]
Troubleshooting
- Action never appears under Recently denied — if a safety check separate from auto mode refused the classifier's own request, or the classifier response did not parse, Claude Code denies without recording the entry; fix via settings or a normal permission prompt instead. [1] [2]
- Auto mode keeps pausing — three consecutive classifier blocks, or twenty total in the session, fall back to prompting; approving the prompted action resumes auto mode. [1]
- Need a wildcard that persists across sessions — use the permission-dialog wildcard flow on Claude/Code/How To/Answer Permission Dialog To Record Wildcard Permissions in Local Settings rather than a one-session Recently denied approval.
Footnotes