By default, MIPS 16 instructions are automatically extended to 32 bits when necessary. The directive .set noautoextend will turn this off. When .set noautoextend is in effect, any 32 bit instruction must be explicitly extended with the .e modifier (e.g., li.e $4,1000). The directive .set autoextend may be used to once again automatically extend instructions when necessary.
This directive is only meaningful when in MIPS 16 mode. Traditional mips assemblers do not support this directive.