How to Enable YOLO Mode in Blackbox AI
To run the Blackbox AI CLI in YOLO mode, start it with blackbox --yolo (or -y), or with --approval-mode yolo. In a running session, /approval-mode yolo or Shift+Tab gets you there. YOLO is one of four approval modes, and the one below it, auto-edit, is often the better choice.
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 Blackbox's CLI docs and the Blackbox CLI package on npm (@blackbox_ai/blackbox-cli 1.0.2) on October 30, 2026. Blackbox's install script now installs a newer v2 build that we could not inspect, so run blackbox --help to confirm the flags in your version.
What YOLO Mode Turns Off in Blackbox AI
YOLO auto-approves every tool call: file edits, shell commands and the rest. It does not turn anything else on or off. Blackbox has an optional sandbox (--sandbox, or -s) that runs it in Docker, Podman or macOS sandbox-exec, but it is off unless you ask for it, and YOLO does not enable it.
One guard stays: in a folder you have not trusted, Blackbox drops back to the default mode and logs a warning, even if you passed --yolo.
How to Enable YOLO Mode in Blackbox AI
| Mode | What it auto-approves | How to pick it |
|---|---|---|
plan |
Nothing. It only plans | --approval-mode plan |
default |
Nothing. It asks for each tool | the default |
auto-edit |
File edits | --approval-mode auto-edit |
yolo |
Everything | --yolo, -y or --approval-mode yolo |
--yolo and --approval-mode cannot be used together. Blackbox stops with an error and tells you to use --approval-mode=yolo instead.
Inside a session, Shift+Tab cycles through the modes, and /approval-mode changes it by name. Add --session, --user or --project to say how long it should stick:
To make a mode the default, set approvalMode in your Blackbox settings file (~/.blackboxcli/settings.json):
The Halfway Option
auto-edit lets Blackbox change files without asking but still asks before shell commands. Pair it with a clean git tree and you can review every edit afterwards, while nothing runs on your machine without a yes.
How to Enable YOLO Mode in Blackbox AI Through AgentRQ
Blackbox's own YOLO switch covers a whole session. 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
Blackbox starts as an ACP agent with blackbox --experimental-acp, the command in its ACP guide. Wrap it with the ACP Gateway to connect it to an AgentRQ workspace (Blackbox AI setup guide):
Start it without --yolo, and leave approvalMode unset or on default. Blackbox offers no ACP session modes for AgentRQ to switch, so the approval mode you start with is the one you get. Each permission request now shows up in the AgentRQ task on the web, on your phone or in Slack, together with the command or edit it is asking about. Answer Allow Once, Always Allow or Deny from wherever you are, and Blackbox 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 Blackbox 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 Blackbox AI
- → 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.
- → Turn on Blackbox's sandbox. Start it with
--sandboxif you have Docker, Podman or macOSsandbox-exec, or run YOLO tasks in a throwaway clone. - → 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 Blackbox AI? Start the CLI with blackbox --yolo or blackbox --approval-mode yolo. In a running session, use /approval-mode yolo or press Shift+Tab.
What approval modes does the Blackbox CLI have? Four: plan, default, auto-edit and yolo. Default asks for every tool, auto-edit approves file edits, and yolo approves everything.
Why does Blackbox ignore --yolo in some folders? In a folder you have not trusted, it falls back to the default mode and asks for each tool.
Does Blackbox AI have a sandbox? Yes, an optional one. Start it with --sandbox to run in Docker, Podman or macOS sandbox-exec. YOLO does not turn it on.
How do I approve Blackbox commands remotely? Connect the Blackbox CLI to AgentRQ through the ACP Gateway with blackbox --experimental-acp. 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.