diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/session/session-composer-dock.spec.ts b/packages/app/e2e/session/session-composer-dock.spec.ts
index deb87a062..4cf075fc9 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/session/session-composer-dock.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/session/session-composer-dock.spec.ts
@@ -142,6 +142,17 @@ test("default dock shows prompt input", async ({ page, sdk, gotoSession }) => {
   })
 })
 
+test("auto-accept toggle works before first submit", async ({ page, gotoSession }) => {
+  await gotoSession()
+
+  const button = page.locator('[data-action="prompt-permissions"]').first()
+  await expect(button).toBeVisible()
+  await expect(button).toHaveAttribute("aria-pressed", "false")
+
+  await setAutoAccept(page, true)
+  await setAutoAccept(page, false)
+})
+
 test("blocked question flow unblocks after submit", async ({ page, sdk, gotoSession }) => {
   await withDockSession(sdk, "e2e composer dock question", async (session) => {
     await withDockSeed(sdk, session.id, async () => {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input.tsx b/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input.tsx
index b99ac9373..ba5a33a47 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input.tsx
@@ -243,6 +243,7 @@ export const PromptInput: Component<PromptInputProps> = (props) => {
     draggingType: "image" | "@mention" | null
     mode: "normal" | "shell"
     applyingHistory: boolean
+    pendingAutoAccept: boolean
   }>({
     popover: null,
     historyIndex: -1,
@@ -251,6 +252,7 @@ export const PromptInput: Component<PromptInputProps> = (props) => {
     draggingType: null,
     mode: "normal",
     applyingHistory: false,
+    pendingAutoAccept: false,
   })
 
   const commentCount = createMemo(() => {
@@ -301,6 +303,12 @@ export const PromptInput: Component<PromptInputProps> = (props) => {
     }),
   )
 
+  createEffect(
+    on(sessionKey, () => {
+      setStore("pendingAutoAccept", false)
+    }),
+  )
+
   const historyComments = () => {
     const byID = new Map(comments.all().map((item) => [`${item.file}\n${item.id}`, item] as const))
     return prompt.context.items().flatMap((item) => {
@@ -947,10 +955,18 @@ export const PromptInput: Component<PromptInputProps> = (props) => {
     readClipboardImage: platform.readClipboardImage,
   })
 
+  const variants = createMemo(() => ["default", ...local.model.variant.list()])
+  const accepting = createMemo(() => {
+    const id = params.id
+    if (!id) return store.pendingAutoAccept
+    return permission.isAutoAccepting(id, sdk.directory)
+  })
+
   const { abort, handleSubmit } = createPromptSubmit({
     info,
     imageAttachments,
     commentCount,
+    autoAccept: () => accepting(),
     mode: () => store.mode,
     working,
     editor: () => editorRef,
@@ -1115,13 +1131,6 @@ export const PromptInput: Component<PromptInputProps> = (props) => {
     }
   }
 
-  const variants = createMemo(() => ["default", ...local.model.variant.list()])
-  const accepting = createMemo(() => {
-    const id = params.id
-    if (!id) return false
-    return permission.isAutoAccepting(id, sdk.directory)
-  })
-
   return (
     <div class="relative size-full _max-h-[320px] flex flex-col gap-0">
       <PromptPopover
@@ -1313,9 +1322,11 @@ export const PromptInput: Component<PromptInputProps> = (props) => {
                 <Button
                   data-action="prompt-permissions"
                   variant="ghost"
-                  disabled={!params.id}
                   onClick={() => {
-                    if (!params.id) return
+                    if (!params.id) {
+                      setStore("pendingAutoAccept", (value) => !value)
+                      return
+                    }
                     permission.toggleAutoAccept(params.id, sdk.directory)
                   }}
                   classList={{
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input/submit.test.ts b/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input/submit.test.ts
index c3d6a9281..c633525a2 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input/submit.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input/submit.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ let createPromptSubmit: typeof import("./submit").createPromptSubmit
 
 const createdClients: string[] = []
 const createdSessions: string[] = []
+const enabledAutoAccept: Array<{ sessionID: string; directory: string }> = []
 const sentShell: string[] = []
 const syncedDirectories: string[] = []
 
@@ -69,6 +70,14 @@ beforeAll(async () => {
     }),
   }))
 
+  mock.module("@/context/permission", () => ({
+    usePermission: () => ({
+      enableAutoAccept(sessionID: string, directory: string) {
+        enabledAutoAccept.push({ sessionID, directory })
+      },
+    }),
+  }))
+
   mock.module("@/context/prompt", () => ({
     usePrompt: () => ({
       current: () => promptValue,
@@ -145,6 +154,7 @@ beforeAll(async () => {
 beforeEach(() => {
   createdClients.length = 0
   createdSessions.length = 0
+  enabledAutoAccept.length = 0
   sentShell.length = 0
   syncedDirectories.length = 0
   selected = "/repo/worktree-a"
@@ -156,6 +166,7 @@ describe("prompt submit worktree selection", () => {
       info: () => undefined,
       imageAttachments: () => [],
       commentCount: () => 0,
+      autoAccept: () => false,
       mode: () => "shell",
       working: () => false,
       editor: () => undefined,
@@ -181,4 +192,31 @@ describe("prompt submit worktree selection", () => {
     expect(sentShell).toEqual(["/repo/worktree-a", "/repo/worktree-b"])
     expect(syncedDirectories).toEqual(["/repo/worktree-a", "/repo/worktree-b"])
   })
+
+  test("applies auto-accept to newly created sessions", async () => {
+    const submit = createPromptSubmit({
+      info: () => undefined,
+      imageAttachments: () => [],
+      commentCount: () => 0,
+      autoAccept: () => true,
+      mode: () => "shell",
+      working: () => false,
+      editor: () => undefined,
+      queueScroll: () => undefined,
+      promptLength: (value) => value.reduce((sum, part) => sum + ("content" in part ? part.content.length : 0), 0),
+      addToHistory: () => undefined,
+      resetHistoryNavigation: () => undefined,
+      setMode: () => undefined,
+      setPopover: () => undefined,
+      newSessionWorktree: () => selected,
+      onNewSessionWorktreeReset: () => undefined,
+      onSubmit: () => undefined,
+    })
+
+    const event = { preventDefault: () => undefined } as unknown as Event
+
+    await submit.handleSubmit(event)
+
+    expect(enabledAutoAccept).toEqual([{ sessionID: "session-1", directory: "/repo/worktree-a" }])
+  })
 })
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input/submit.ts b/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input/submit.ts
index a7ff39e09..a8c2609f4 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input/submit.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/prompt-input/submit.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { useGlobalSync } from "@/context/global-sync"
 import { useLanguage } from "@/context/language"
 import { useLayout } from "@/context/layout"
 import { useLocal } from "@/context/local"
+import { usePermission } from "@/context/permission"
 import { type ImageAttachmentPart, type Prompt, usePrompt } from "@/context/prompt"
 import { useSDK } from "@/context/sdk"
 import { useSync } from "@/context/sync"
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ type PromptSubmitInput = {
   info: Accessor<{ id: string } | undefined>
   imageAttachments: Accessor<ImageAttachmentPart[]>
   commentCount: Accessor<number>
+  autoAccept: Accessor<boolean>
   mode: Accessor<"normal" | "shell">
   working: Accessor<boolean>
   editor: () => HTMLDivElement | undefined
@@ -56,6 +58,7 @@ export function createPromptSubmit(input: PromptSubmitInput) {
   const sync = useSync()
   const globalSync = useGlobalSync()
   const local = useLocal()
+  const permission = usePermission()
   const prompt = usePrompt()
   const layout = useLayout()
   const language = useLanguage()
@@ -140,6 +143,7 @@ export function createPromptSubmit(input: PromptSubmitInput) {
 
     const projectDirectory = sdk.directory
     const isNewSession = !params.id
+    const shouldAutoAccept = isNewSession && input.autoAccept()
     const worktreeSelection = input.newSessionWorktree?.() || "main"
 
     let sessionDirectory = projectDirectory
@@ -197,6 +201,7 @@ export function createPromptSubmit(input: PromptSubmitInput) {
           return undefined
         })
       if (session) {
+        if (shouldAutoAccept) permission.enableAutoAccept(session.id, sessionDirectory)
         layout.handoff.setTabs(base64Encode(sessionDirectory), session.id)
         navigate(`/${base64Encode(sessionDirectory)}/session/${session.id}`)
       }
diff --git a/packages/app/src/context/permission-auto-respond.test.ts b/packages/app/src/context/permission-auto-respond.test.ts
index 8657427d7..2e4cf4faf 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/context/permission-auto-respond.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/context/permission-auto-respond.test.ts
@@ -31,13 +31,13 @@ describe("autoRespondsPermission", () => {
     expect(autoRespondsPermission({ root: true }, sessions, permission("child"), "/tmp/project")).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  test("defaults to auto-accept when no lineage override exists", () => {
+  test("defaults to requiring approval when no lineage override exists", () => {
     const sessions = [session({ id: "root" }), session({ id: "child", parentID: "root" }), session({ id: "other" })]
     const autoAccept = {
       other: true,
     }
 
-    expect(autoRespondsPermission(autoAccept, sessions, permission("child"), "/tmp/project")).toBe(true)
+    expect(autoRespondsPermission(autoAccept, sessions, permission("child"), "/tmp/project")).toBe(false)
   })
 
   test("inherits a parent session's false override", () => {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/context/permission-auto-respond.ts b/packages/app/src/context/permission-auto-respond.ts
index cabd514e7..727ccc937 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/context/permission-auto-respond.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/context/permission-auto-respond.ts
@@ -37,5 +37,5 @@ export function autoRespondsPermission(
   const value = sessionLineage(session, permission.sessionID)
     .map((id) => accepted(autoAccept, id, directory))
     .find((item): item is boolean => item !== undefined)
-  return value ?? true
+  return value ?? false
 }