ai
Approval gate
A checkpoint in delegated work where an AI operator must get your yes before acting, typically anything that spends money or sets a boundary.
An approval gate is the line between “she handles it” and “she asks first.” Work inside the gate runs on its own: the routine replies, the scheduled drafts, the follow-up rungs you pre-approved. Work outside it stops and comes back to you as a question, with context attached, before anything happens.
Well-placed gates are what make delegation trustworthy and predictable. The usual placement is money (nothing spends without a yes), boundaries (a firm message to a client waits for you), and anything unusual (a reply that changes the situation). Poorly placed gates ruin the point: gate everything and you have built a to-do list with extra steps; gate nothing and you have handed a stranger your checkbook. How Amber places hers.