Agents & Agentic AI
Approval gate
A step that requires human or system approval before an agent can continue.
Example
Purchases above $1,000 pause until a manager approves them.
Why it matters
It gives a responsible person a chance to stop consequential actions before they occur.
You'll hear it
“What exactly am I approving here?”
Can you control it?
Sometimes
Sometimes. Some products or workflows let you influence an approval gate, while others keep it fixed or manage it automatically. Check the settings and documentation for the tool you are using.
Common questions
- Does approval undo an action that already happened?
- No. A useful gate needs to operate before the action it is meant to control.
- Can repeated approval requests lead to careless acceptance?
- Yes. Poorly chosen gates can turn review into an automatic click.
- Does approval for one action cover later changes?
- Not automatically. A changed amount, recipient or scope may need a new decision.