The Claude Code System
One Agent Loop, Five Surfaces That Steer It
The host runtime owns your folder. Permission modes gate every action. Memory survives between sessions. Skills, sub-agents, and MCPs add capability.
Reusable workflows triggered in one keystroke.
Specialised Claude instances Claude can delegate to.
Four scopes concatenate at session start.
External plug-ins: databases, browsers, APIs.
Six modes. Cycle with Shift+Tab. Detail below.
Four Modes You Will Actually Use · Six Total
Pick The Mode That Matches The Trust
Plan first, approve, then accept edits. Make Shift+Tab into plan mode muscle memory. dontAsk and auto exist; reach for them only after the basics are second nature.
default
Reads only. Everything else prompts you, action by action.
plan
Reads, writes a plan, no source edits. Approve the shape before any action runs.
acceptEdits
Reads + file edits + basic FS auto-run. Shell commands still prompt.
bypassPermissions
Everything. No checks. Refuses to start as root. Sandboxed containers only.