Auto-allow permissions on session start

[rafaellabarrocas]

Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve

Add a persistent setting to automatically run /allow-all when starting a new session.

Proposed solution

Suggested implementation:

• Add a setting like permissions.auto_allow_all: true (configurable via /settings)
• Or add a startup preference in ~/.copilot/config

Example prompts or workflows

I work in trusted directories and need to run /allow-all at the start of every session. Having to manually enable permissions each time creates friction in the workflow.

Additional context

Same as Claude's bypass permissions toggle.

[dylbarne]

+1 to this feature request,
also add equivalent to /permissions assisted -> permissions = 'assisted' or something like that, whichever fits best in settings.json context
(or enable as CLI flag: copilot --allow-all auto or copilot --permissions auto)

[rainer-friederich]

The mode worth making persistent here is the assisted one — LLM-judged approval — rather than unconditional allow-all.

Today, unconditional allow-all already has both a flag (--allow-all / --yolo) and an env var (COPILOT_ALLOW_ALL). Assisted has neither, and no persistent form — only /permissions assisted, session-scoped.

That's backwards on safety. Per the CLI's own autopilot text, unconditional approval "also disables the sandbox for this session", while assisted "keeps the current sandbox setting and runs a lightweight LLM safety review for each permission request". The mode that turns the sandbox off is the pinnable one, so anyone chasing less friction is nudged toward the blunter tool.

The engine already models it: PermissionsAllowAllMode = "off" | "on" | "auto" (auto = assisted), with an optional judge model. What's missing is a way to select it that isn't a keystroke.

Proposed, one key covering both asks:

// ~/.copilot/settings.json
{ "permissions": { "defaultMode": "assisted" } }  // "manual" | "assisted" | "allow-all", default "manual"

plus --permission-mode <manual|assisted|allow-all>, with --allow-all and --yolo kept as aliases. Precedence: managed policy, flag, COPILOT_ALLOW_ALL, setting, default.

[copilot-cli-bot]

This appears to be resolved as of GitHub Copilot CLI v1.0.88. Please update to that release or a newer stable version. We're closing this as completed. If it still happens, please comment with your version and reproduction steps.