How to Enable YOLO Mode in Grok Build

xAI's Grok Build calls its YOLO mode Always-approve. Start it with grok --always-approve, or its alias grok --yolo. In a running session, press Ctrl+O or type /always-approve. Deny rules and PreToolUse hooks still apply.

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 xAI's Grok Build docs at docs.x.ai and the documentation bundled with Grok Build 1.0.73 (@xai-official/grok) on October 30, 2026.

Grok Build's Permission Modes

Plan mode is separate. It restricts edits while Grok plans, and its plan review still appears under Auto or Always-approve.

How to Enable YOLO Mode in Grok Build

grok --always-approve

The config key goes in your user config only. Grok does not read it from a project's .grok/config.toml. The older keys approval_mode and yolo = true still work, and permission_mode wins if more than one is set.

Headless runs (grok -p) cannot ask, so without Always-approve any tool call that needs approval is refused.

The Halfway Option

Auto (/auto, or permission_mode = "auto") lets a classifier approve the safe calls. For hard lines, add rules to the [permission] section of the config:

[permission]
rules = [
  { action = "allow", tool = "bash", pattern = "git *" },
  { action = "deny",  tool = "bash", pattern = "rm -rf *" },
]

deny always beats allow. The --allow and --deny flags take the same patterns for one run.

Grok Build's Sandbox

Always-approve does not touch the sandbox. They are separate layers: permissions decide which calls run, and the sandbox limits what an approved call can reach. The sandbox is off by default. Turn it on with --sandbox <profile>, the GROK_SANDBOX environment variable or [sandbox] profile in your config. Built-in profiles include workspace (write only to the project, ~/.grok and temp directories), read-only and strict. It uses Landlock on Linux and Seatbelt on macOS, and if it cannot be applied, Grok logs a warning and carries on without it.

How to Enable YOLO Mode in Grok Build Through AgentRQ

Always-approve 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

Connect Grok Build to an AgentRQ workspace through the ACP Gateway (Grok Build setup guide):

npx @agentrq/acp-gateway@latest --agent grok-build

The gateway runs grok agent stdio, without --always-approve. Grok's own agent-mode docs recommend grok agent --always-approve stdio for SDKs and servers, so don't add it here, and leave permission_mode at ask in ~/.grok/config.toml. ACP clients can also turn on Always-approve per session with "_meta": { "yoloMode": true } on session/new. AgentRQ does not send that.

Grok Build sends permission prompts over ACP whenever the session is not in Always-approve. They show up in the AgentRQ task on the web, on your phone or in Slack, together with the command or edit they are about. Answer Allow Once, Always Allow or Deny from wherever you are, and Grok 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 Grok Build 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 Grok Build

• → 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.
• → Keep deny rules in config. They still hold when a task runs in YOLO, the same as under Grok's own Always-approve.
• → Leave the workspace-wide switch off. Turn YOLO on per task instead, so it never outlives the job you trusted.
• → Turn on the sandbox. Set [sandbox] profile = "workspace" so YOLO tasks can only write inside the project.
• → 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 Grok Build? Start it with grok --always-approve, or its alias grok --yolo. In a session, press Ctrl+O or type /always-approve.

How do I make Always-approve the default in Grok Build? Set permission_mode = "always-approve" under [ui] in ~/.grok/config.toml. Project config files are not read for this setting.

Do deny rules still work in Grok Build's YOLO mode? Yes. Deny rules and PreToolUse hooks still apply under Always-approve.

Does Grok Build have a sandbox? Yes, off by default. Turn it on with --sandbox and a profile such as workspace, read-only or strict.

How do I approve Grok Build commands remotely? Connect Grok Build 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.