# Agent access modes

**Settings → Agent → Agent access** controls when Nock's agent waits for approval. The current choices are **Autopilot**, **Full**, and **Ask**. These are separate from [Coding agent permissions](/nock/coding-permissions), which govern supported external coding agents.

## Choose a mode

| Nock mode | Behavior                                                                                                                                    |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Autopilot | The default. Ordinary work proceeds automatically; classified consequential actions and other applicable checks can still request approval. |
| Full      | More restrictive than Autopilot despite its name. Broader risk checks apply to commands, writes, desktop actions, and unclassified tools.   |
| Ask       | Reads, searches, and Nock's own supported tools can proceed; other actions generally require approval.                                      |

Nock's **Full** is not the external coding-agent **Full access** option. Choosing Full in Nock increases approval checks compared with Autopilot; the similarly named coding option grants broader access to that separate agent.

## Change it in Settings

1. Open Settings → Agent → Agent access.
2. Select the mode and read the description beneath it.
3. If changing to a less restrictive mode, review the native confirmation dialog and choose Allow only if intended.
4. Check that the selected state changed before starting new work.

A Settings choice persists until changed. If the interface reports that it could not change the mode, retain the current assumption and retry deliberately; do not assume a failed control changed policy.

## Temporary voice changes

Saying **“yolo”** as the whole request enables Autopilot for the day, returning to the previous mode at local midnight. If Autopilot was already permanent, it remains permanent. Saying **“ask me first”** switches to Full.

These phrases must be the whole request. “Ask me first about this email” is an ordinary task instruction, not the mode-switch command. Check the spoken response and Settings if the result is unclear.

## Running work and waiting approvals

A mode change does not cancel an action or request already running. Existing work keeps the rules under which it started. The engine applies updated rules between requests; background workers can delay a full reload. During that interval a stricter policy can refuse new actions until the transition finishes.

Switching to Autopilot can immediately release waiting approvals for actions that Autopilot would allow automatically. Review pending work before making that change. Use a task's stop control if your intention is to stop work rather than change future approvals.

## Checks that remain

The policy includes checks for recognized sends, deletes, commands with consequential effects, unrequested computer use, and app actions configured to ask first. Additional context and tool rules can also block or ask. These checks depend on the tool path and classification; they are not a guarantee that every possible risky action is detected.

Actions disabled in Settings and apps with Agent access off remain restricted. A broader mode does not grant a missing operating-system permission, provider authorization, or unavailable account capability.

For each approval, read the actual action and scope. Inspect the result afterward, particularly for external writes. See [App access controls](/nock/app-access-controls) and [Privacy and data](/nock/privacy).