Blocker review loop pattern
The blocker review loop teaches agents to pause at uncertainty, ask for a specific decision, and resume with the operator answer captured as workflow context.
Use this when human judgment belongs inside the workflow.
- Teams building human-in-the-loop agent workflows
- Operators who want fewer silent stalls
- Engineering leads who need agents to pause before risky decisions
Uncertainty should become a decision request
Agents often continue when they should stop. They may guess a product requirement, invent a missing dependency, or work around an access issue in a way the team would not approve.
A blocker review loop creates a sanctioned path for uncertainty.
Capture the pause, the owner, and the resolution
Midfleet turns the blocker into a visible object with context and a resolution path. The operator sees the request, answers it, and that answer becomes part of the workflow history.
This makes human intervention faster and more auditable.
Example blocker object
The best blocker is compact enough to resolve quickly and specific enough to become useful history.
Run the pattern
Define blocker triggers
Examples: ambiguous requirement, security-sensitive change, missing secret, failing dependency, or unclear owner.
Agent raises a blocker
It includes current state, attempted actions, and the exact decision needed.
Operator reviews in context
The operator sees the task, agent, scope, and blocker note together.
Operator resolves with instruction
The answer should be specific enough for the agent to continue.
Agent resumes or hands off
If the answer changes ownership, create a handoff instead of burying the transition.
Review blocker quality
Good blockers get more precise over time. Vague blockers reveal prompt or workflow gaps.
What to avoid
- Letting blockers be vague status updates.
- Answering blockers in a side channel without capturing the decision.
- Using blockers only for errors, not ambiguity.
- Punishing agents for stopping at legitimate risk.
- Failing to assign ownership for resolution.
Questions teams ask next
What is a good blocker?
A good blocker says what is blocked, what was tried, what decision is needed, and what happens after resolution.
Who should resolve blockers?
The operator or domain owner closest to the decision. Technical blockers and product blockers often need different owners.
Can blockers be automated?
Some can be routed automatically, but the value is the visible pause and decision trail.
Bring us the workflow. We will shape the control path.
Midfleet Learn explains the model. Private preview proves it against a real engineering workflow with agents, ownership, handoffs, blockers, and operator visibility.