Agentic workflows chain planning, retrieval, and tools. The checklist that prevents costly mistakes is the same in every industry: deterministic authorization before actuation, explicit policy versions, and verifiable decisions. This post is a compact, operational list you can use in design review.
For the cluster pillar overview, see runtime authorization for AI agents.
Key concepts
Checklist
- Surfaces. Every tool, database write, and external API is registered as a surface with a stable id.
- Gate on commit. The authorization client runs before the handler that performs I/O, not only before the LLM call.
- Policy version in band. Decisions and receipts name the policy version so audits can diff behavior across releases.
- Fail closed. If authorization is missing or ambiguous, the workflow does not proceed. See fail-closed systems.
- Offline verification path. Reconcile receipts in CI or ticket systems using published keys without a live dependency on a vendor UI.
What this does not replace
Model red-teaming, content filters, and data classification remain important. This checklist is about execution risk: the path where bytes leave the system or money moves. That is the layer TrigGuard is built for.
Related architecture
Next step
Adopt the checklist, then request evaluation access to align on your surfaces.