Ok, that is still a manual intervention. I would rather it let me rout around a problem I can see from miles away ahead of time. While we are at it, a manual "yes, please just make the jump" would be great as well (if it does not already exist), maybe with options for selecting the preferred transponder state for various systems.
(in case it is not becoming obvious, I am an AFK pilot, often watching or reading stuff on another screen for long-haul flights. Having to manually intervene all the time is somewhat annoying, especially when the fleet is burning supplies for no good reason while frolicking in the corona of a star)
Starsector is, unfortunately, a pretty hands-on game with a fair load of micromanaging. AFKing is maybe a viable option in hyperspace (despite the hyperstorm riding and derelict ships floating by), but flying inside of a system has more elements that need consideration (hostile fleets, coronas, etc.). I never feel the need to AFK, and even if there is a long stretch, speeding up the game with "Shift" decimates the wait to less than a minute (that flies by anyway).
Even for battles, I set my flagship on autopilot, and monitor the progress of ships destroyed and the status of my own. Even then, it doesn't seem like a chore (unless a lone frigate starts a game of cat and mouse), and I can use SpeedUp to make it quicker.
So for your situation, I advise either switching your focus between reading & watching and playing the game every 10 minutes or so, or just doing one thing over the other. Starsector really isn't an idle clicker, but I understand that there are times when it seems better to do something else productive. Apologies for the unhelpful criticism, I just don't think implementing these ideas should be a priority for the game.