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Human-in-the-loop

Some actions must never run fully automatically: large transfers, bulk deletions, mass emails, privilege grants, or external posts. Human-in-the-loop (HITL) is a control, not a nicety.

Patterns​

  • Explicit confirm — User sees exact recipients and body before send.
  • Step-up auth — Re-authenticate for sensitive APIs.
  • Dual control — Two-person approval for high-risk operations.

UX pitfalls​

  • Vague summaries (“Send email?”) hide injection-chosen content—show full draft when feasible.
  • Auto-approve after N — Dangerous; attackers optimize for threshold.