goose

goose Permission Modes: GOOSE_MODE auto, approve, smart_approve and chat

How do I change goose's permission mode so it asks before running tools?

Set GOOSE_MODE to auto, approve, smart_approve or chat in ~/.config/goose/config.yaml, as an environment variable, or through goose configure. The default is auto, which edits and deletes files without asking. In Desktop, pick a Default Mode under Settings and Chat.

The four modes

  • auto (Completely Autonomous): changes files, uses extensions and deletes files without approval. This is the default.
  • approve (Manual Approval): asks before using tools or extensions.
  • smart_approve (Smart Approval): approves low risk actions and flags others for approval.
  • chat (Chat Only): chat only, no extensions or file changes.

Set it in config.yaml

config.yaml lives at ~/.config/goose/config.yaml on macOS and Linux, and %APPDATA%\Block\goose\config\config.yaml on Windows.

~/.config/goose/config.yaml

GOOSE_MODE: "smart_approve"

Set it with an environment variable

Shell

export GOOSE_MODE="approve"

Environment variables have the highest priority. They override config.yaml, which overrides defaults.

Set it in the CLI or Desktop

  • CLI: run goose configure, choose goose settings, then goose mode, then pick Auto Mode, Approve Mode, Smart Approve Mode or Chat Mode.
  • Desktop: open the sidebar, click Settings, click Chat, and choose a Default Mode.
  • Each session keeps its own mode. Changing the default only affects new sessions.

What gets approval

  • In Manual and Smart modes, Allow and Deny buttons appear when a tool runs.
  • Approval is asked only for tools goose treats as write tools, such as text editor writes and bash rm, cp or mv.
  • The read or write check is best effort and depends on your LLM provider.
  • Tool permission levels set through goose configure are saved in permission.yaml.

Get goose settings changes by email

When a setting, flag or permission rule in this guide changes, it goes in the weekly AgentAtlas update, checked against the vendor docs. One email a week.

Sources

goose: Permission Modesgoose: Configuration Filesgoose: Environment Variables

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Reviewed Oct 13, 2026. Settings change often; the linked vendor docs are the source of truth.