---
title: Reference Tripwires
read_when:
  - "working on reference code"
---

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# Reference Tripwires

Action-triggered rules for this category. Consult BEFORE taking any matching action.

**CRITICAL: Before confusing `dangerous` with `allow_dangerous`** → Read [Interactive Claude Configuration](interactive-claude-config.md) first. `dangerous` forces skip all prompts (--dangerously-skip-permissions). `allow_dangerous` allows user opt-in (--allow-dangerously-skip-permissions). They have different behaviors.

**CRITICAL: Before forgetting that CLI flags always override config file values** → Read [Interactive Claude Configuration](interactive-claude-config.md) first. The with_overrides() pattern ensures CLI flags take precedence. Never read config directly when overrides are present.

**CRITICAL: Before passing non-None override values when wanting to preserve config** → Read [Interactive Claude Configuration](interactive-claude-config.md) first. Pass None to preserve config value. Pass value to override. with_overrides(model_override=False) disables model, should be model_override=None.
