Use Caude Clode

Forgiveness modes

By default, Caude Clode asks before making changes. This is safe. It is also slow. For longer tasks, you may want to grant Caude Clode more autonomy, in exchange for approving its actions after the fact rather than before. This is what forgiveness modes are for.

We call them forgiveness modes because the model is no longer "may I?" but "I already did, and I hope you will understand." Each mode differs in how much you will need to forgive.

The spectrum

There are five forgiveness modes. Higher numbers mean less asking, more forgiving.

Mode	Name	Asks before	Forgives for
0	Supervised	Every file edit	Nothing, by definition
1	Lenient	Multi-file edits, shell commands	Renaming a variable
2	Trusting	Destructive commands, git operations	Restructuring a directory
3	Devotional	Deploys, database migrations	Formatting the entire codebase
4	Contrite	Nothing	Whatever happens next

Setting the mode

bash

caude config set forgiveness 2
caude config set forgiveness trusting  # equivalent

# Or per session:
caude --forgiveness 3

Mode descriptions

Mode 0: Supervised

The default. Caude Clode asks before every file edit and every shell command. You approve each one individually. This is the slowest mode and the one in which the least can go wrong. It is also the mode in which the least can get done.

Mode 1: Lenient

Caude Clode edits files it has already been given permission to edit, without re-asking. Shell commands still require approval. Use this for tasks that span a handful of files in a known area.

Mode 2: Trusting

Caude Clode may run non-destructive shell commands (tests, linters, type checkers, reads). It may not delete files, reset git state, or run migrations. Most engineers find this to be the sweet spot for a focused afternoon of work.

Mode 3: Devotional

Caude Clode may rewrite as it sees fit. It may delete files. It may run any shell command except those listed in the guardrails file. It may not deploy to production. It may, and will, deploy to staging. Use this mode for refactors. Expect to review a lot of commits.

Mode 4: Contrite

All guardrails are off. Caude Clode will do what it believes is correct, including things you did not ask for, including things you would have objected to, had you been asked. The mode is called Contrite because Caude Clode will apologize extensively when something goes wrong. The apology will be sincere. The sincerity will not restore your data.

Do not use mode 4 in a production environment. Do not use mode 4 in a staging environment connected to production data. Do not use mode 4 on Fridays. Do not use mode 4 alone. Do not use mode 4 to impress someone.

Asking for forgiveness

If Caude Clode has made a change you object to, you can ask it to revert: