What is Human-in-the-Loop?

Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) means that automated workflows can pause and wait for human approval before continuing. This keeps people in control of decisions that matter while letting AI handle the repeatable work.

How It Works

When a workflow step has a manual trigger assigned to a human:

  1. The workflow executes automatically through AI agent steps
  2. At the human step, it pauses with status pending_human
  3. The assigned human receives a notification
  4. They review the work from the previous step
  5. They click “Approve” (or “Reject”) to continue
  6. The workflow resumes from where it paused

Adding an Approval Step

  1. Open your workflow in the visual builder
  2. Add a new step between the automated steps
  3. Set the trigger type to Manual
  4. Assign it to a human team member (manager, team lead)
  5. Label it clearly (e.g., “Review and Approve Report”)

Viewing Pending Approvals

When a workflow is waiting for human input:

  • The workflow shows pending_human status
  • The assigned person sees a notification in their notification center
  • The workflow detail page shows which step is waiting
  • The pending step is highlighted in the workflow visualization

Resolving Pending Steps

The assigned human can:

  1. Open the pending workflow from notifications
  2. Review the output from the previous steps
  3. Click “Approve” to continue the workflow
  4. Or click “Reject” to stop or route to a different path

Best Practices

  • Place HITL steps after AI-generated content — let AI do the work, humans verify
  • Keep approval steps focused — one decision per step
  • Assign to the right person — someone with authority to approve
  • Set up notifications so pending steps don’t get lost

Example: A client report pipeline where AI pulls data and generates the draft, but a manager reviews and approves before it’s sent to the client. This ensures quality while saving hours of manual work.