When an AI agent should ask before it acts

A travel agent was asked to find a flight.

Irreversible actions need approval.

Weak version: Agent books on its own — **Weak**"Find" became "book and charge" without asking.

Strong version: Agent books on its own — **Strong**A plan with every step and the price, then approve.

How to apply it

Separate finding from doing: show the plan, the steps and the price before acting.
Require approval for actions that are costly or can't be undone.
Let cheap, reversible steps run on their own, so approvals stay meaningful.

Where it breaks

When approval prompts appear so often people click without reading.

Related patterns

Agent takes a money action · Money actions need a way back.
Long AI wait · Show progress. Give control.
Model isn't sure · Don't show a percent. Ask the question that decides.
Confident answer, no source · A claim without a source is a guess.
All 10 AI UX patterns

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