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Permission modes decide how much authority an agent has before it runs host commands, writes files, or asks a backend harness for extra access.
Permission mode is separate from tools.exec.host=auto. tools.exec.host chooses where a command runs. tools.exec.mode chooses how host exec is approved.
Use auto for coding agents that need useful host access without making every miss a human prompt:
openclaw approvals get prints the requested policy, the host policy sources behind it, and the effective result. Use it to confirm the tools.exec.mode write landed in the source you expect before the restart applies it. Then verify the effective policy:

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OpenClaw host exec modes

tools.exec.mode is the normalized policy surface for host exec. Each mode resolves to an underlying security (allowlist strictness) and ask (prompt-on-miss) pair: ask and auto share the same allowlist/ask settings; auto additionally enables the native auto-reviewer. An allow verdict permits one low- or medium-risk execution. A deny verdict returns a reason to the agent so it can choose a materially safer alternative or ask the user. An ask verdict requests human approval, as do review failures. On the gateway, three consecutive reviewer denials escalate to a human. Existing binding checks and explicit human-approval requirements still apply; see Exec modes. Gateway approval-backed commands bind every resolved command-segment executable before review and re-check it before launch: protected executables use resolved real-path identity only, while writable executables also use a content hash. Node identity checks cover local policy evaluation through dispatch, with a remote shell-wrapper approval limitation. In auto mode, POSIX login or interactive shell wrappers skip the reviewer and require human approval when binding succeeds; existing binding rejections remain denied. Their implicit startup files are outside operand binding. tools.exec.strictInlineEval is a separate opt-in setting and defaults to false. When ordinary host approval evaluation runs, recognized inline-eval forms such as python -c, node -e, and sed programs require reviewer or explicit approval when strict mode is enabled, even under full/off policy. Configured tools.exec.mode: "full" alone does not bypass that check. Gateway execution from a full-permission session with effective security full and ask off, or from permitted elevated-full execution with both exec and host approval policies allowing full/off, skips the host approval path and its strict-inline detector. Ask-only tightening of a full session restores that path. See Session permission modes and Elevated mode. For the full host exec policy, local approvals file, allowlist schema, safe bins, and forwarding behavior, see Exec approvals.

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Codex Guardian mapping

For native Codex app-server sessions, tools.exec.mode: "auto" drives Codex toward Guardian-reviewed approvals when the local Codex requirements allow it. Typical resulting values: auto mode forces this policy over any configured Codex sandbox/approval overrides, so it does not preserve legacy unsafe combinations such as approvalPolicy: "never" with sandbox: "danger-full-access". tools.exec.mode: "deny" and "allowlist" block Codex app-server local execution entirely. Use tools.exec.mode: "full" only when you intentionally want the no-approval posture. For app-server setup, auth order, and native Codex runtime details, see Codex harness.

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ACPX harness permissions

ACPX sessions have no interactive TTY for permission prompts. Supported ACP form and URL requests can still reach the operator as Gateway questions during a channel-delivered turn; those are separate from permission approval. ACPX uses separate harness-level settings under plugins.entries.acpx.config: Set ACPX permissions separately from OpenClaw exec approvals:
With the default hybrid reload mode, these changes automatically reload the ACPX plugin. See Config hot reload for other modes. Use approve-all as the ACPX break-glass equivalent of a no-prompt harness session. For setup details and failure modes, see ACP agents setup.

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Choosing a mode

If a command still prompts or fails after changing mode, inspect both layers:
Outside the full-permission Gateway session exception described above, host exec uses the stricter result of OpenClaw config and the host-local approvals file. ACPX harness permissions do not loosen host exec approvals, and host exec approvals do not loosen ACPX harness prompts.