/mode - Daemon Mode Management

Run this first

Claude Code loads this markdown and nothing else — the file below is not run for you, and it holds the procedure to follow (Plan 00324):

bash "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR:-.claude/skills/mode}/invoke.sh" <the arguments the user typed>

Follow its output exactly; what is written here is orientation.

Description

View or change the daemon's operating mode. Supports default (normal operation) and unattended (blocks Stop events to keep Claude working autonomously).

Usage

# Show current mode
/mode
/mode get

# Switch to unattended mode (blocks Stop events)
/mode unattended

# Switch to unattended with custom task message
/mode unattended finish the release and run all tests

# Switch back to default mode
/mode default

# Focus THIS session on one task (session mode; see focus_mode_trigger)
/mode focus <task>

# End focus (aliases: done, end, disable)
/mode focus off

# Manual goals for THIS session: no automated goal write or retirement clear (alias: off)
/mode goals manual

# Back to automated goals (alias: on)
/mode goals auto

/mode goals manual|auto runs hooks-daemon goals off|on, the same as typing hooks-daemon goals manual as a whole prompt; see CLAUDE/SessionModes.md (manual-goals).

/mode focus is the same as typing hooks-daemon focus <task> at the start of a prompt: it changes only the current session, not the daemon-wide mode. It runs hooks-daemon session-mode focus <task> / session-mode focus off; /mode get also prints session-mode get. hooks-daemon mode-history lists every session's live modes and the recent mode transitions, each with what triggered it.

Modes

What Unattended Mode Does

When enabled, a mode interceptor runs before the handler chain on every event:

• Stop events: Blocked with a DENY response instructing Claude to continue working
• SubagentStop events: NOT blocked (subagents should stop normally)
• All other events: Pass through to normal handler chain unchanged

The interceptor includes re-entry protection (checks stop_hook_active flag) to prevent infinite loops.

Custom Messages

When switching to unattended mode, you can include a custom message that gets appended to the block reason. This lets you give Claude specific instructions about what to work on:

/mode unattended complete all remaining tasks in the plan

The message appears in the Stop event denial reason, so Claude sees it when it tries to stop.

Python Path Detection

There is no interpreter to detect. The deployed wrapper resolves the fingerprint-keyed venv itself, and lives at the same place relative to the daemon root in both install modes:

# self-install (daemon development)
./bin/hooks-daemon <command>

# normal install
.claude/hooks-daemon/bin/hooks-daemon <command>

IPC Protocol

The skill communicates with the daemon via Unix socket system requests:

Get mode:

{"event": "_system", "hook_input": {"action": "get_mode"}}

Set mode:

{"event": "_system", "hook_input": {"action": "set_mode", "mode": "unattended", "custom_message": "optional"}}

Session modes (one session):

{"event": "_system", "hook_input": {"action": "get_session_modes", "session_id": "<id>"}}
{"event": "_system", "hook_input": {"action": "enter_focus", "session_id": "<id>", "task": "<task>"}}
{"event": "_system", "hook_input": {"action": "exit_focus", "session_id": "<id>"}}

Output

On get mode:

Mode: default

On set unattended:

Mode: unattended (changed)
Message: finish the release

On set default:

Mode: default (changed)

Requirements

• Daemon must be running
• Python venv must be available (self-install or normal install)

Version

Introduced in: v2.17.0