To require a human checkpoint before an AI coding tool changes files, enable the approval control for the exact tool and editor integration you use, then verify its active mode before starting. A plan-only mode, a prompt before selected risky actions, approval of a suggested patch, and review of a diff after edits are different safeguards. A repository instruction file can guide review, but it does not by itself enforce file permissions.
What “review before applying changes” means
Approval before a file edit means the tool pauses and asks you before it writes changes. The scope varies: some modes pause before risky edits or commands, while others offer a read-only plan and wait for approval before implementation. By contrast, a diff or code review shown after edits have been made is a way to inspect work that already exists; it is not pre-edit approval.
Check the active mode in your installed version and integration. Product labels are not interchangeable, and a setting in one editor harness may not govern the same product used from a terminal.
Set the approval control for your tool
Codex CLI
In Codex CLI, enter /permissions and choose when Codex may edit files or run commands without asking. Codex also provides a separate review flow for examining changes; that review is distinct from permission to make them. Its documentation recommends creating Git checkpoints before and after a task, so you have a recovery point if the resulting changes are unwanted. See OpenAI’s Codex CLI documentation.
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Claude Code
Claude Code distinguishes between permission modes:
- manual: “asks before risky edits or commands”. This is a prompt for selected actions, not a read-only planning stage.
- plan: “read-only; proposes a plan and waits for approval”. Choose this when you want to review a proposal before implementation begins.
- acceptEdits: allows file edits through, so it is not the choice when your goal is to approve edits first.
Use the mode that matches the checkpoint you need, then confirm that it is active in the Claude Code session. Anthropic documents these distinctions in its Claude Code user FAQ.
Claude harness in Visual Studio Code
In VS Code’s Claude harness, choose “Request approval: ask before applying changes.” Check the harness setting rather than assuming that a Claude Code mode or a repository instruction controls it.
Be especially careful with github.copilot.chat.claudeAgent.allowDangerouslySkipPermissions: VS Code warns that this setting “bypasses all permission checks.” Microsoft says to use it only in an isolated sandbox without internet access. If you see it enabled unexpectedly, stop and verify the integration configuration before letting the agent work. Details are in Microsoft’s agent harness documentation.
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GitHub Copilot code review
Copilot code review supports review guidance from repository-wide instructions in .github/copilot-instructions.md, path-specific instructions under .github/instructions/, and root-level AGENTS.md context. Use these files to explain project conventions and what reviewers should check. They shape review context; they do not establish that a coding agent must ask before editing files.
Copilot’s suggested changes are separately accepted by the user and are not automatically committed. Inspect each suggestion and accept only the changes you intend to keep. The review surface is therefore useful for evaluating proposals, but do not confuse acceptance of a suggestion with a permission mode that blocks all edits. See GitHub’s Copilot code review documentation.
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Choose the checkpoint that matches your risk
| Control | When it pauses | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
Codex CLI /permissions |
According to the selected rules for file edits and command execution; the documentation does not state one universal pause point for every configuration. | Which actions can proceed without asking, and whether the separate review flow is being used only after changes. |
Claude Code manual |
Before risky edits or commands. | That the active mode is manual; it is not described as read-only. |
Claude Code plan |
Before implementation: it presents a read-only plan and waits for approval. | That you are approving the proposal before implementation, not reviewing an already-applied diff. |
Claude Code acceptEdits |
File edits are allowed through. | Do not select it when edits must wait for approval. |
| VS Code Claude harness “Request approval” | Before applying changes. | That the harness uses this choice and that permission checks are not being bypassed. |
| Copilot code review instructions and suggestions | Review guidance informs review; suggested changes are accepted separately by the user. This is not documented as a universal pre-edit permission gate. | Inspect the proposed changes and accept only intended suggestions. |
Use a reliable setup sequence
- Identify the actual environment. Note the coding tool, the editor or harness it runs in, and whether settings are managed by you or by an organization administrator.
- Select an approval-oriented mode before asking for work. In Codex CLI, inspect
/permissions. In Claude Code, usemanualfor prompts before risky edits or commands, orplanfor a read-only proposal that waits for approval. In VS Code’s Claude harness, select “Request approval.” - Add review guidance where it belongs. Put Copilot repository-wide rules in
.github/copilot-instructions.md, cross-tool standing guidance in rootAGENTS.md, or path-specific rules in.github/instructions/. Treat these as instructions for review behavior, not as enforcement of permissions. - Verify before implementation. If the active mode is unclear, ask the tool to explain its current permission mode and confirm it in the integration’s settings. Do not proceed on the basis of an instruction file or a familiar-sounding label alone.
- Inspect and accept deliberately. Review the plan before implementation when using a planning mode; inspect the resulting diff or review comments afterward; accept only changes you intend to keep. A post-change inspection does not retroactively make edits approval-gated.
- Create a recovery point. Use a Git checkpoint before the task and another after it, as Codex documentation recommends. This makes it easier to discard or isolate unwanted changes.
What organizational controls can and cannot establish
OpenAI documents administrator-enforced requirements and telemetry that can include approval decisions for organizational Codex deployments. That is evidence about managed Codex deployments specifically; it should not be assumed to describe Claude Code, Copilot, or every coding tool. Ask your administrator which requirements apply to your deployment and verify the mode in the environment where you will work. See OpenAI’s account of running Codex safely.
An enabled approval prompt is a control over when actions can proceed, not proof that the proposed code is correct or safe. Continue to review the actual changes and test them using your project’s normal checks.
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