REVIEWED / JULY 22, 2026
Contain the flow
Add stop conditions before connecting multiple AI steps
Define when the workflow pauses, rejects an input, or returns control to a person.
What this guide should leave behind
The automation has explicit stops for missing sources, sensitive data, uncertainty, unusual requests, and failed checks.
Work the boundary in this order
- 01
Draw the smallest sequence from trigger to draft to review to final action.
- 02
At each handoff, name the expected input and a validation that can fail closed.
- 03
Stop on missing authority, prohibited data, unsupported claims, malformed output, or unusual consequence.
- 04
Test the stops with fictional edge cases before connecting a live system.
Foundations worth seeing
- Every step has an owner.
- Each handoff is validated.
- High-impact actions require approval.
- A safe manual fallback exists.