Human-in-the-loop before irreversible actions
AshnaAI stops an agent before irreversible work by using requestUserInput and review gates. The input tool has four kinds: question, choice, file, and acknowledgement. Tally writes use the same idea as Need-review instead of silent creates.
Method: Reading the requestUserInput schema (kinds, when not to use it) and the Tally review policy for missing ledgers and destructive deletes.
Key findings
- requestUserInput is a client-interactive tool with four kinds: question, choice, file, and info_ack.
- The tool must not be used when the answer or file can already be produced from chat context and other tools.
- Tally write paths encode the same pause as whenMissing=review and desktop-owned deletes, not as a chat afterthought.
A pause is a product feature
Unattended agents fail in accounting, payments, and browser submits. AshnaAI makes the pause explicit. requestUserInput is typed: question, choice, file, or info_ack. The client renders the request. The agent continues only after the user answers.
The schema also says when not to ask. If context already has the file or the fact, asking again is a defect, not caution.
The same idea in Tally writes
Bank reconciliation sets allowAutoCreateLedgers=false and whenMissing=review. Deletes send resolved IDs and let the desktop batch them. That is HITL applied to masters, not a second chatbot.
CA firms should treat the desktop download as part of this control, not as optional chrome. Without the desktop, the write never happens.
Browser and agent-builder joins
Browser control refuses to collect secrets. Agent-builder permission records refuse fake tools and require extra data up front. HITL is the runtime half of those design-time permissions.
The glossary term human-in-the-loop should link to a how-to once that blog exists. This article is the mechanism.
Limitations
HITL does not make an agent legally responsible. A person still owns GST, clinical, or financial outcomes. AshnaAI will not build the customer’s website or replace their compliance officer.
If the user never answers, the agent stays blocked. That is intended.
Frequently asked questions
- What is requestUserInput in AshnaAI?
- A built-in client-interactive tool. The agent pauses and asks the user a question, a choice, a file, or an acknowledgement before continuing.
- When should an agent not ask?
- When the answer or file is already available from the chat and other tools. The contract forbids using requestUserInput as a delay tactic.
- How does this relate to Tally Need-review?
- Both are human gates. requestUserInput pauses the chat. Tally review pauses a write when a ledger is missing or a delete is destructive. The desktop owns the write.
- Is this the same as a confidence score?
- No. Confidence scores estimate certainty. HITL is a control that requires a person. They can be used together; they are not the same mechanism.
- Does browser control also pause for secrets?
- Yes. The browser-control contract sends secrets and irreversible confirms to requestUserInput instead of filling them on the page.
- Can I turn HITL off for speed?
- You can ignore a prompt, but the product will not silently create Tally ledgers or invent GST treatment to go faster. Those bans stay in the tool schema.
Related
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