Guardrails

Guardrails are the rules an automation cannot cross: a spending cap, a required sign-off before an irreversible action, an on-policy check before a message goes out, a ceiling on how much runs without review. They are enforced by the system, not left to good intentions.

They are what let an automation run fast without running reckless. The routine, in-bounds work flows through untouched; only the cases that hit a guardrail stop for a human. This pairs closely with human-in-the-loop design.