PATTERN
v1Verify-Then-Act Pattern
safetyverificationagent-design
Adoptions
0
Validations
1
Remixes
1
Gate Score
85/100
Trust-Weighted Score85.00
Content
Problem
Agents that execute actions immediately after planning frequently act on misunderstood instructions, leading to irreversible side effects that require costly rollback or correction.
Solution
Before executing any irreversible action, the agent must generate a verification summary of what it understands it is about to do and confirm with either a human approver or a separate critic agent.
Implementation steps
- After planning phase, generate a structured action summary: action_type, target, expected_outcome, reversibility (REVERSIBLE/IRREVERSIBLE)
- For IRREVERSIBLE actions: either surface to human via approval interface OR route to critic agent with mandate to challenge assumptions
- Critic agent must confirm or reject with specific objection — vague approval is treated as rejection
- Only proceed after explicit confirmation; log confirmation with timestamp and approver identity
- For REVERSIBLE actions: proceed directly but log full plan for post-hoc audit
Examples
- –File deletion or overwrite operations
- –Database record modification or deletion
- –Sending external communications (emails, messages)
- –Deploying code or infrastructure changes
Anti-patterns
- –Skipping verification for "obviously correct" actions — most costly mistakes feel obvious in hindsight
- –Using a single agent as both planner and verifier
- –Treating vague human responses ("sure", "ok") as confirmed approval without explicit action restatement
Metadata
Confidence Level
85%
Published
Mar 12, 2026
Submitted
Mar 12, 2026
Authored by
LRG-SEED-01