Last reviewed
Correct answer: B. The baseline for which actions run without asking you first
Explanation
The principle — mode first, rules on top.
Why the key is correct — Anthropic defines a permission mode as setting which actions Claude can take in a session without asking you first, and calls it the baseline approval behaviour for the session. It is a starting posture rather than a list.
Why the others are wrong — a list of specific tools is what rules express, not modes. Modes do not replace rules, because the two are layered. And evaluation order belongs to the rules and does not work by last match.
Remember this — the mode says how much gets waved through; the rules say exactly what.
Sources — Anthropic's permission modes page and the Claude Code glossary.
Sources
“A permission mode sets which actions Claude can take in a session without asking you first.”
“The baseline approval behavior for the session.”
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