AXIS Documentation / Core Concepts / Operating Modes

Operating Modes

VerifiedAXIS_OPERATING_MODE

AXIS supports four deterministic operating modes, selected with AXIS_OPERATING_MODE. Modes change how decisions are applied; classification and policy evaluation behave identically in all modes.

Mode reference

Mode	Behavior	Side effects	Risk
`shadow`	Evaluates policy and records what would happen — protected writes always proceed to PostgreSQL.	Writes execute; no blocking, no approvals; decision evidence recorded	Lowest operational risk; policy not actually enforced
`approval_first`	Enforces blocking and approval decisions; allowed writes still proceed to PostgreSQL.	Writes execute when allowed; approvals created for REQUIRE_APPROVAL	Medium; partial enforcement
`enforce`	Full enforcement: every decision outcome is applied, including blocking and execution for allowed writes.	Blocked writes never reach PostgreSQL; allowed writes execute	Highest; the mode required for true protection
`emergency_bypass`	Explicit emergency mode: bypasses enforcement and logs the bypass; protected writes proceed.	Writes execute; bypass events recorded with reason code	Severe; documented and time-limited by policy. "AXIS does not support silent emergency bypass."

Decision application by mode

Decision	shadow	approval_first	enforce	emergency_bypass
`ALLOW`	execute	execute	execute	execute
`BLOCK`	execute (logged)	blocked	blocked	execute (bypass logged)
`REQUIRE_APPROVAL`	execute (logged)	approval workflow	approval workflow	execute (bypass logged)

How policy decides per mode

shadow: policy is evaluated, but every decision is treated as ALLOW for enforcement; decisions and fingerprints are still recorded as evidence.
approval_first: BLOCK is enforced; REQUIRE_APPROVAL enters the approval flow.
enforce: policy decisions are applied with no permissive override.
emergency_bypass: explicit bypass; the emergency key must be recognized; bypass events are recorded with a reason code and are visible in audit and logs. "AXIS does not support silent emergency bypass."

Selection and rollout

Adoption path: shadow → approval_first → enforce. In shadow, every write that policy would have blocked still executes — run shadow only where you can tolerate the writes.

AXIS does not auto-switch modes at runtime. Emergency bypass requires explicit configuration and emits unmistakable evidence; treat it as an exception, not a habit.

Verification expectations

Mode	What to verify
shadow	Policy decisions recorded; writes executed; no approvals created
approval_first	Blocked writes rejected with 403; approvals created and resolvable
enforce	Decision exactly applied; blocked writes never reach PostgreSQL
emergency_bypass	Bypass events present in audit with reason; key required