Each execution mode makes a different tradeoff between conversational autonomy and developer oversight. The table below shows how Antigravity CLI handles file operations and planning in each mode.

Mode	Behavior	Best for
`default`	Pauses for interactive diff review before modifying or creating files.	Standard development, reviewing sensitive code changes, and careful refactoring.
`accept-edits`	Automatically approves file edits and creations (`mkdir`, `touch`, file writes).	Rapid prototyping, iterating on trusted code, and reducing prompt interruptions.
`plan`	Prepends the `/plan` instruction prefix to analyze and outline steps before writing code.	Exploring unfamiliar architecture or designing complex multi-step features.

> Note: Tool permission rules configured via /permissions or --dangerously-skip-permissions continue to govern shell commands (run_command) across all execution modes.

Cycle execution modes during a sessionlink

You can switch execution modes mid-session without interrupting active tasks or restarting the terminal.

Press Shift+Tab inside the prompt box to cycle through the active sequence:

default → accept-edits → plan → default

Observe the status bar indicator below the prompt input to confirm your active mode ([accept-edits] or [plan]).

> Tip: When Antigravity CLI pauses for a pending file edit confirmation in default mode, you can press Shift+Tab to instantly switch to accept-edits mode and approve all pending file modifications.

Review modifications in default modelink

In default mode (request-review), Antigravity CLI pauses before applying any file writes to disk and renders an inline, syntax-highlighted diff preview.

# Launch in default interactive review mode
agy

When prompted with a pending file modification:

Press y to accept the changes and save the file to disk.
Press n to reject the edits and keep the existing file unchanged.
Press f (KeyViewDiff) to open a full-screen, scrollable diff review with 3 context lines and hunk separators.
Press Ctrl+G to open the file inside your $EDITOR for manual adjustments.
Type instructions in the prompt box and press Enter to reject the edit and tell the agent what to do differently.

The default mode file edit diff review panel showing line modifications and action choices

New file creation previewslink

When Antigravity CLI creates a brand-new file, the confirmation panel displays an addition-only diff preview with a dedicated "Create file" header and explicit allow/deny prompts:

Create file: src/utils/formatter.ts
Allow create this file? [y/n/f]

The addition-only diff confirmation panel displayed when creating a new file in default mode

Auto-approve edits with accept-edits modelink

Select accept-edits mode when you want Antigravity CLI to work in longer, uninterrupted stretches across your filesystem without pausing for each file modification.

# Launch directly in accept-edits mode
agy --mode=accept-edits

In this mode, all standard file read, creation, and replacement operations (write_to_file, replace_file_content, multi_replace_file_content) run automatically. Subagents spawned during the session also inherit the accept-edits setting, preventing background file writes from queueing for manual approval.

The CLI running in accept-edits mode showing the status indicator and automatic file modification

Analyze tasks before editing with plan modelink

Use plan mode when taking on complex refactoring, multi-file architectural changes, or unfamiliar codebase investigations.

# Launch directly in planning mode
agy --mode=plan

When plan mode is active via Shift+Tab cycling or the --mode flag, the CLI automatically prepends the /plan instruction prefix to your prompts. The agent investigates relevant files using read-only tools (code_search, grep_search, view_file) and presents a structured execution outline for your approval before writing code.

The CLI running in plan mode analyzing code and structuring an execution outline

Persist or override your default modelink

You can set your preferred startup execution mode permanently across sessions or override it for specific invocations.

Using the interactive settings panellink

Open the interactive settings panel mid-session to inspect or update your default configuration.

/settings

The interactive settings panel with the Agent Mode option highlighted

Navigate to Agent Mode using ↑/↓, press Enter or Space to select your default (default, accept-edits, or plan), and press Ctrl+S to save. Modifying this option synchronizes your runtime CycleMode immediately.

Setting `agentMode` in `settings.json`link

Set agentMode directly inside your user or project configuration file:

{
  "agentMode": "accept-edits"
}

The CLI loads this file from ~/.gemini/antigravity-cli/settings.json at startup and applies your chosen baseline execution mode.

Command-line flag overrideslink

Pass the --mode flag to temporarily override your persistent default mode for a single terminal run:

# Override settings.json to run in planning mode
agy --mode=plan

Common mistakeslink

Mistake	Why it fails	Fix
Expecting `sandbox` in `Shift+Tab` cycling	`sandbox` is an OS containment permission setting, not an execution mode	Configure sandbox auto-approval rules inside `/permissions`
Using legacy `/planning` or `/fast` commands	These vestigial commands were removed in `1.1.0`	Press `Shift+Tab` to cycle modes or type `/plan` before your prompt
Passing `--permission-mode`	`agy` uses `--mode` (`--mode=accept-edits` or `--mode=plan`) for execution overrides	Run `agy --mode=accept-edits` or check `agy --help`

Next stepslink

Permissions: Configure fine-grained tool approval rules and wildcard matching
Settings, Rendering & Keybindings: Customize configuration overrides and interactive preferences
Background Tasks & Subagents: Manage parallel subagent execution and asynchronous task queues