Auto-Approval Mode

Running Locus in full-auto mode with Docker sandbox isolation, safety controls, and resumable execution.

Auto-approval mode is the high-automation operating style in Locus:

• Provider execution runs in full-auto mode (claude --dangerously-skip-permissions or codex exec --full-auto)

• Issue lifecycle labels are auto-managed (agent.autoLabel)

• PRs are auto-created after successful execution (agent.autoPR)

• Interrupted runs resume from saved state (locus run --resume)

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Sandboxing: Safe Full-Auto Execution

Full-auto mode gives AI agents unrestricted access to your codebase. Docker sandbox isolation is the key safety mechanism that makes this safe for teams.

What Sandboxing Protects

When sandboxed:

• AI agents execute inside an isolated Docker container

• Only files allowed by .sandboxignore rules are visible to the agent

• .env, *.pem, *.key, cloud credential directories are excluded by default

• Agents cannot access host-level paths, credentials, or system resources

Running with Required Sandbox

For maximum safety, require sandboxing so execution fails if Docker is unavailable:

locus run --sandbox=require

This is recommended for CI environments and team workflows where accidental unsandboxed execution should be prevented.

Sandbox Modes

Mode	Flag	Behavior
Auto (default)	(no flag)	Use sandbox if available, warn and fall back if not
Required	--sandbox=require	Fail if sandbox is unavailable
Disabled	--no-sandbox	Run unsandboxed (shows safety warning)

Full setup guide: Sandboxing Setup

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Safety Controls

Control	Default	Purpose
agent.autoLabel	true	Keep GitHub status labels in sync during execution
agent.autoPR	true	Automatically create PRs for successful tasks
sprint.stopOnFailure	true	Stop sprint on first failure instead of cascading
agent.rebaseBeforeTask	true	Detect base-branch drift/conflicts between tasks
agent.maxParallel	3	Bound concurrent standalone issue execution
--dry-run	off	Preview execution without writes
--resume	off	Continue from failed/interrupted checkpoint

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When to Use Auto-Approval

Use auto-approval when:

• Tasks are well-scoped with explicit acceptance criteria

• Strong CI and branch protections are enforced

• Docker sandboxing is enabled

• The team is comfortable with AI-generated PRs

Prefer manual approval when:

• Changes touch auth, payments, migrations, or production-critical paths

• Requirements are ambiguous or expected to change during execution

• A one-off issue needs human checkpoints before any PR is opened

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Scenario 1: Sprint Autopilot with Resume

# Setup
locus sprint active "Sprint 8"
locus config set agent.autoLabel true
locus config set agent.autoPR true

# Run with sandbox enforcement
locus run --sandbox=require

# If interrupted or failed
locus logs --level error --lines 200
locus run --resume

What happens:

• Task labels update automatically (queued → in-progress → done/failed)

• Sprint halts on failure (by default), then resumes from checkpoint

• PRs are created automatically for successful tasks

• All execution is sandboxed

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Scenario 2: Parallel Backlog Sweep

# Setup
locus config set agent.maxParallel 2

# Run independent issues in parallel
locus run 141 142 143 144
locus status

# Re-run only failed issues
locus run 142 144

What happens:

• Independent issues execute in bounded parallel batches

• Each issue gets its own git worktree and branch

• Successful tasks open PRs automatically

• Failed tasks remain visible via locus:failed labels

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Manual-Approval Profile

If you need tighter control, disable PR automation:

locus config set agent.autoPR false
locus run --dry-run     # Preview first
locus run               # Execute
# Review changes manually, open PRs yourself

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Safety Checklist

Before any auto-approval run:

• Docker sandboxing is set up (locus sandbox status)

• Active sprint or issue list is correct

• Branch protections and required CI checks are enabled

• agent.maxParallel matches repo/CI capacity

• sprint.stopOnFailure is enabled for sprint runs

• .sandboxignore includes .env, credential files, and cloud config directories

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Rollback

If auto-approval is too risky for the current work:

1. Stop execution (Ctrl+C)

2. Disable auto PR: locus config set agent.autoPR false

3. Check status: locus status and locus logs --level error --lines 200

4. Close automation PRs if needed:

gh pr list --label agent:managed --state open
gh pr close <pr-number> --comment "Rolling back to manual mode"

1. Continue with manual gating (locus run --dry-run, targeted locus run <issue>)

Related Docs

• Sandboxing Setup

• Security & Sandboxing

• Built-In Tools

• Execution Model