Glossary
Fail-closed
A safety default where any unknown, missing, or malformed input resolves to the restrictive outcome. In an approval gate, uncertainty means the action does not run — the permissive path is never the default.
Related terms
- Human-in-the-loop (HITL)
A control pattern where a person must approve or reject a system's action before it takes effect. For AI agents, it mean…
- Approval by exception
A policy model where most actions proceed automatically and only exceptions — high amounts, sensitive scopes, risky agen…
- Escalation
Routing an approval request to a higher authority or a wider reviewer pool when it isn't handled in time or exceeds a ri…