Claude Code asks for every edit after you approve a plan

You put Claude Code in plan mode, read the plan, approve it, and walk away. Ten minutes later it's sitting on "Do you want to create a.txt?", the first of twenty files. Approving a plan doesn't approve the edits in it. Which option you pick on the plan screen decides how the edits run, and the safe-sounding one asks about every file.

We ran it on Claude Code 2.1.312 with a two-file plan to see exactly what each choice does.

What the plan screen offers#

When Claude Code finishes a plan, it shows the plan and asks "Would you like to proceed?" In our run the options were:

1. Yes, and use auto mode
2. Yes, manually approve edits
3. Tell Claude what to change

The wording varies with your plan and settings; some setups show "Yes, auto-accept edits" instead of auto mode. The split is the same: one option lets the edits run, the other makes you approve each one.

What "manually approve edits" does#

We picked option 2. Claude Code started on the plan and stopped at the first file:

Do you want to create a.txt?
❯ 1. Yes
  2. Yes, and switch to accept edits (auto-approve file edits and common file commands)
     for this session (shift+tab)
  3. No

After a plan, Claude Code goes back to the permission mode you were in before plan mode. If you started in the normal mode and pressed Shift+Tab to get to plan mode, that's normal mode again, and normal mode asks before each file change. So "manually approve edits" means exactly that: one question per file.

Fix it in the moment#

If it's already asking, you don't need to start over:

• Pick "Yes, and switch to accept edits" on the first edit prompt. The rest of the session's file edits go through without asking.
• Or press Shift+Tab until the status line says accept edits. It changes the mode for the rest of the session.

Commands that aren't simple file operations, such as installs or anything not on your allow list, still ask in accept edits mode. That's usually what you want: the plan's edits run, a surprise rm -rf doesn't.

Fix it for next time#

Pick the right option on the plan screen. If you've read the plan and you're happy with it, choose the option that runs edits without asking (auto mode or auto-accept edits). Choose "manually approve edits" only when you want to read each diff as it lands.

If you always want edits accepted, make it your starting mode in .claude/settings.json:

{
  "permissions": {
    "defaultMode": "acceptEdits"
  }
}

Sessions then start in accept edits mode, and Shift+Tab still takes you to plan mode when you want one. Keep in mind this applies to every session in that project, not only planned ones.

Edit the plan before you approve it#

Accepting edits is easier when the plan says exactly what you want. On the plan screen, Ctrl+G opens the plan file in a text editor. Cut the steps you don't want, add the one it missed, save, and approve. That beats approving a plan you half agree with and then saying no to individual files. The third option, "Tell Claude what to change", works too when the change is easier to say than to write.

When asking every time is right#

There are good reasons to approve edits one by one:

• The plan touches code you don't know well, and reading each diff is how you learn it.
• It changes config, migrations or anything that's hard to undo.
• It's a teammate's repo and you want to see what lands before it lands.

For everything else, a reviewed plan plus accept edits is the faster and calmer setup. Pair it with a check at the end, such as making Claude Code run your tests before it says done, and you review the result instead of every step.

If you approve from somewhere else#

The same choice exists wherever you approve plans. A remote approval that's a plain "yes" puts the session back in its previous mode, which brings back a prompt per file, and you won't be at the keyboard to answer them. When you approve a plan away from your desk, choose the option that accepts edits, or switch the session to accept edits first.

Where Joxo fits#

With Joxo, a plan waiting for you reaches your phone and desktop, and you answer it there, so a session doesn't sit on a question while you're away. Setup is one line pasted into your agent. For the full permission list, see stop Claude Code asking permission for every command, safely.

Frequently asked questions#

Why does Claude Code ask permission after I approved the plan?#

Approving a plan doesn't approve its edits. If you choose "Yes, manually approve edits", Claude Code returns to the mode you were in before plan mode, and normal mode asks before each file change.

How do I make Claude Code accept all edits after a plan?#

Choose the plan option that accepts edits (auto mode or auto-accept edits). If it's already asking, pick "Yes, and switch to accept edits" on the first prompt, or press Shift+Tab until accept edits shows.

Can I start Claude Code in accept edits mode?#

Yes. Set "defaultMode": "acceptEdits" under permissions in .claude/settings.json. Every session in that project then starts there.