# Approve what the agent does

You decide how much the agent may do on its own. Reading is always free. Changing your workspace is where approvals come in.

![A pending page creation with Approve, Auto Approve and Reject buttons](https://thenotemaker.com/help/agent-approvals.webp)

## Manual and Auto

Under the message box, switch between:

-   **Manual** (the default). The agent reads and searches straight away. Before it writes anything, such as creating or editing a page, it shows what it wants to do and waits.
-   **Auto**. It makes ordinary changes without asking.

You can switch at any time, in the middle of a chat.

## When it asks

A waiting step shows what it will do and three buttons:

-   **Approve** runs this step.
-   **Reject** skips it.
-   **Auto Approve** runs this step and switches the chat to Auto, so it stops asking. This only ever moves a chat towards Auto, never back.

When several steps wait together you get **Approve all**. If you send a new message instead, the waiting steps are rejected.

## What always asks

Even in Auto, the agent asks before it:

-   **publishes** a page or makes something public,
-   **changes who can open** something,
-   **moves something to the trash**,
-   **lifts a lock** (see below),
-   uses a tool from an **outside connector** that your workspace has not marked as trusted.

It can never delete anything permanently.

> [!info] 💡
> An agent with only reading tools cannot change anything, even in Auto.

## When the agent asks to lift a lock

A page, form or collection that someone has [🔒 Lock a page, form or collection](https://docs.wrightdesk.com/organise-and-share/lock-a-page-form-or-collection) cannot be changed by the agent. If your request needs it, the agent stops and asks you. A card titled **The agent is asking to lift a lock** says which page or form it is, who locked it and when, and the reason the agent gives.

-   **Unlock it** lifts the lock so the agent can make its change. Afterwards the agent is told to lock it again unless you say to leave it open.
-   **Keep it locked** leaves everything as it is.

This question is asked every time, even in Auto, and it is never included in **Approve all** or **Auto Approve**. If you are not allowed to unlock the page, only its creator or a workspace admin can.

## Related

-   [💬 Chat with Agent Mode](https://docs.wrightdesk.com/agent-mode/chat-with-agent-mode)
-   [🔧 Connect GitHub and MCP servers](https://docs.wrightdesk.com/workspace-settings/connect-github-and-mcp-servers)
-   [🔒 Lock a page, form or collection](https://docs.wrightdesk.com/organise-and-share/lock-a-page-form-or-collection)