From fbb0bd52ec72cd8cb1ac28022d5de448f7d6949a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: dietrich ayala <me@burrito.space>
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2026 15:21:06 +0700
Subject: [PATCH] carry the box's autoMode and model into the rendered
 settings.json

Claude Code reads autoMode only from ~/.claude/settings.json, never from
settings.local.json or project settings, and /auto-mode-setup and /model
both write there. Moving them out disables the rules; leaving them in
deferred the file on every run, and applying that deferral would have
dropped the box's auto-mode rules. 22-claude-config.sh now copies those
two keys from the existing file into the render before comparing.
---
 flit-spec.md                   |  8 ++++++++
 server/lib/22-claude-config.sh | 15 +++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 23 insertions(+)

diff --git a/flit-spec.md b/flit-spec.md
index edab103..07cf8fb 100644
--- a/flit-spec.md
+++ b/flit-spec.md
@@ -875,6 +875,14 @@ remediation path is how drift alerts get ignored.
 > to the comparison: with no delimiter to scope around, nothing in `deliver_rendered()` can tell a
 > third party's addition apart from a real conflict, so keeping box-local state out of the
 > delivered file is the only thing that keeps this contract honest.
+>
+> **Two keys cannot make that move: `autoMode` and `model`.** Claude Code reads `autoMode` only
+> from `~/.claude/settings.json` — `settings.local.json` and project settings are ignored for it —
+> and `/auto-mode-setup` and `/model` both write there. Moved, the box's auto-mode rules stop
+> applying; left in place, they defer the file on every run, and applying the deferral drops
+> them. `22-claude-config.sh` therefore carries those two keys over from the existing file into
+> the render before comparing. They cannot come from the payload instead: the repository is
+> public and auto-mode rules name real hosts.
 
 Bail out to printing when the state is **not** already satisfied and:
 
diff --git a/server/lib/22-claude-config.sh b/server/lib/22-claude-config.sh
index 7e2862e..b81bfab 100755
--- a/server/lib/22-claude-config.sh
+++ b/server/lib/22-claude-config.sh
@@ -380,6 +380,21 @@ jq --arg old_handoff "$OLD_HANDOFF" --arg new_handoff "$NEW_HANDOFF" \
   )
 ' "$SETTINGS_SRC" >"$TMP" || die "could not render settings.json"
 
+# autoMode and model are the box's own, carried over from the existing file
+# rather than rendered. Claude Code reads autoMode only from
+# ~/.claude/settings.json — never settings.local.json or project settings — and
+# /auto-mode-setup and /model both write there, so a box with either set would
+# otherwise defer this file on every run, and applying the deferral would
+# silently drop its auto-mode rules. Neither can come from the payload: the
+# repo is public and auto-mode rules name real hosts.
+if [[ -f "$SETTINGS_DST" ]] && jq -e . "$SETTINGS_DST" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  jq --slurpfile box "$SETTINGS_DST" \
+     '. + ($box[0] | {autoMode, model} | with_entries(select(.value != null)))' \
+     "$TMP" >"$TMP.box" \
+    || die "could not carry autoMode and model over from $SETTINGS_DST"
+  mv "$TMP.box" "$TMP" || die "could not stage the rendered settings.json"
+fi
+
 deliver_rendered "$TMP" "$SETTINGS_DST" \
   "existing settings.json differs from the rendered delivery; box-local changes belong in settings.local.json, which this script never touches" \
   json
-- 
2.51.2