Guardrails
The limits built into an AI workflow that set what it may do on its own and when a person steps in. The site's audit method names oversight, logging, escalation and the point at which a person takes over, designed into the build rather than added once something has gone wrong.
What it means in practice
The customer output article describes what most mature set-ups use: review before a response goes out, correction after it, and escalation to a person when the AI is unsure. For a small business, it says the first and third are the ones worth building. The exception handling page covers what happens to a case the workflow was not built for.
How we use it
In the Implement and Scale step of how we audit, oversight, logging, escalation and the point at which a person takes over are designed into the build. The workflow design page says they are drawn in before a prototype exists, so the place where a person looks is decided on purpose and not found by accident once something has gone out the door. The well-scoped workflow article adds the review point to the choice of which process to start with.
FAQ
Questions about Guardrails
What do guardrails in an AI Workflow cover?
The build step of the site's audit method names oversight, logging, escalation and the point at which a person takes over. Each is designed into the build rather than added after a problem. The workflow design page calls this the difference between an automation the organisation can run and one only whoever wrote it can run.
How do guardrails decide what an AI may do alone?
The task and decision article sorts each step onto a ladder. Only high-volume, reversible steps governed by clear rules move to Execute, ambiguous or judgement-heavy steps stay at Assist or Recommend with a named person accountable, and hiring, dismissal or legal and safety calls stay off the ladder entirely.
What it means for a Business
Built-in guardrails are one of the four principles of a well-scoped workflow, alongside a clear objective, a defined scope and a business impact that can be shown. A workflow that carries out steps on its own also gains places where a mistake can travel unseen, so the review point is part of the design.
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