How to Enable YOLO Mode in Factory Droid
Factory Droid has two answers. For scripted runs, droid exec --skip-permissions-unsafe skips every permission prompt, and droid exec --auto high comes close while keeping Droid's safety checks. In the interactive CLI, press Ctrl+L to cycle the autonomy level up to High.
This page is one of our YOLO mode guides, and part of our guide to YOLO mode in every coding agent. Everything below was checked against Factory's Droid docs and the droid 1.0.0 package used by the ACP registry on October 30, 2026.
Droid's Autonomy Levels
Droid calls its approval setting autonomy. Each level adds to the one before it.
| Level | Runs without asking |
|---|---|
| Off | Built-in read tools and commands your command policy allows. Everything else asks. |
| Low | File edits, plus low-risk commands and MCP tools |
| Medium | Reversible workspace changes such as installs, builds and local commits |
| High | High-risk actions too, unless command policy, a sandbox rule or an org control requires a stop |
Organization policy can cap the highest level you are allowed to pick.
How to Enable YOLO Mode in Factory Droid
In Droid Exec
droid exec is Droid's headless mode, and it starts read-only: it can read files and run read-only git commands but edits nothing. Raise it with --auto:
--auto low, --auto medium and --auto high match the levels above. Even at high, Droid keeps its remaining hard safety checks, and extreme commands such as sudo rm -rf / stay blocked. --skip-permissions-unsafe goes one step further and skips every permission prompt, though command blocks still apply. It cannot be combined with --auto, and Factory says to use it only in fully isolated places such as disposable containers, throwaway VMs or ephemeral CI runners.
In the Interactive CLI
Press Ctrl+L to cycle Off, Low, Medium, High and back to Off. To change the default for new sessions, set sessionDefaultSettings.autonomyLevel to off, low, medium or high in ~/.factory/settings.json. Shift+Tab is a different switch: it moves between Normal and Spec mode.
The Halfway Option
Low or Medium. Low is roughly "accept edits", and Medium adds builds, installs and local commits while still asking before git push, sudo and production changes.
How to Enable YOLO Mode in Factory Droid Through AgentRQ
Droid's autonomy level covers a whole session or run. AgentRQ lets you make the decision per task, and answer from somewhere other than the terminal.
Approve From the AgentRQ Task Instead of the Terminal
Connect Factory Droid to an AgentRQ workspace through the ACP Gateway (Factory Droid setup guide):
The gateway runs droid exec --output-format acp-daemon. Over ACP, Droid offers its autonomy levels as session modes: normal (Auto (Off), reads only), spec, auto-low, auto-medium and auto-high. None of them is named as an asking mode, so AgentRQ leaves the session in whatever mode Droid starts it in. Keep your default autonomy level at Off in ~/.factory/settings.json, or Droid approves calls before AgentRQ sees them.
At Off, Droid sends each permission request to the client, and it shows up in the AgentRQ task on the web, on your phone or in Slack. Answer Allow Once, Always Allow or Deny from wherever you are, and Droid carries on. If nobody answers within 30 minutes, the gateway cancels the turn instead of guessing. Change the limit with --permission-timeout.
Turn On YOLO for One Task
Flip the YOLO toggle on a task, or when you create it, to put just that task in YOLO mode. Every permission request in it is approved automatically and Droid never waits, while every other task in the workspace still asks. Scheduled tasks, event triggers and workflow steps have the same switch, so an unattended job can run in YOLO while your interactive work stays supervised.
Turn YOLO On or Off in Workspace Settings
To make YOLO the default for a whole workspace, open the workspace, go to Settings, choose the Automations tab and flip YOLO Mode (Execute All). Click Update Workspace to save. Switch it off the same way. The switch is off by default, and every permission request in the workspace is approved automatically while it is on.
A Safe YOLO Setup for Factory Droid
- → Allow the boring tools, not everything. Always Allow adds the tool to the workspace's auto-approved list, so the routine calls stop asking and the risky ones still do. Prune that list in workspace settings now and then.
- → Leave the workspace-wide switch off. Turn YOLO on per task instead, so it never outlives the job you trusted.
- → Isolate it the way Factory says. For anything close to
--skip-permissions-unsafe, Factory recommends a disposable container, VM or CI runner. Treat a YOLO task the same way. - → Commit first. Start every YOLO task from a clean git tree, so any change is one
git resetaway. - → Read the record. The tool call history lists every call the task made, including the ones that were auto-approved.
FAQ
How do I enable YOLO mode in Factory Droid? Run droid exec --skip-permissions-unsafe to skip every prompt, or droid exec --auto high to keep Droid's safety checks. In the interactive CLI, press Ctrl+L until autonomy reads High.
What does droid exec do by default? It starts read-only. It can read files and run read-only git commands, but edits nothing until you pass --auto.
What is the difference between --auto high and --skip-permissions-unsafe? Both run high-risk actions. --auto high keeps Droid's hard safety checks, while --skip-permissions-unsafe skips all permission prompts and is meant only for isolated environments.
How do I change Droid's default autonomy level? Set sessionDefaultSettings.autonomyLevel to off, low, medium or high in ~/.factory/settings.json.
How do I approve Factory Droid actions remotely? Connect Droid to AgentRQ through the ACP Gateway. Its permission requests show up in the task on the web, your phone or Slack.
For every other agent, see what YOLO mode is and how to turn it on in every coding agent.