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An Agent can read files, modify a workspace, and run terminal commands. Choose a permission policy before running, and give automated tasks explicit workspace, model, timeout, and step boundaries.

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Permission modes

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TUI

Use Alt+M to switch Ask, Auto, and Full access in the TUI. Run /permission status to inspect the current mode.

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Headless

Headless uses CLI policy names:
smart corresponds to TUI Auto. Headless does not support ask because it has no human approval surface; use the TUI or ACP when a person must approve an action.

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Plan Mode is separate

Plan Mode controls whether the agent plans before execution. Permission mode controls how tool actions are approved:
An active plan does not change the permission policy for the execution phase. Auto or Full access can still be combined with Plan Mode when you want to review scope first.

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Interactive development

  • Use Ask or Auto by default.
  • Check paths and commands before deletion, bulk writes, or external requests.
  • Run mcode init . in an unfamiliar repository and review its AGENTS.md.
  • Use /status, /doctor, and /context to inspect account, configuration, and context state.
  • Inspect the diff and run relevant tests before accepting the result.

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CI and batch jobs

  • Set an explicit --cwd; do not depend on the caller’s current directory.
  • Set --timeout and --max-steps to bound execution.
  • Use --permission full or off only in an isolated workspace.
  • Use --output-format json or stream-json; do not infer status from human-readable text.
  • Check both the process exit code and the JSON status.
  • Preserve stdout and stderr separately so diagnostics cannot corrupt machine output.

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Protect credentials

Provider API keys are read from environment variables:
Do not put keys in a repository, AGENTS.md, prompts, screenshots, or CI logs. Login callback URLs can contain temporary credentials and must not be shared or committed. mcode provider list shows only managed-login or masked-key status.

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Workspace and data directory

The default data root is ~/.minimax; use MINIMAX_DATA_DIR to select another directory:
Use separate data directories on remote hosts, shared machines, and CI runners so accounts do not share sessions, logs, or provider configuration.

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Protocol boundaries

  • ACP stdout is reserved for protocol messages; logs go to stderr.
  • mcode exec fails on pending questionnaires or permission requests instead of bypassing interaction.
  • Browser and Computer Use are desktop-host capabilities and are not automatically available in the CLI.