| name | approval-gates |
| description | Check whether an action needs approval before doing it. Say "do I need approval for this" or "should I ask first". Triggers when you are about to send, publish, pay, sign, delete, or push something public. Reads `rules/approval-gates.md` and classifies the action as auto-runnable, ask-first, or refused. Other skills call this internally. |
| why | Prevents irreversible or public actions from happening silently - sends, pushes, deletes, and payments need a human yes first. |
| enhance | Fill rules/approval-gates.md with your own thresholds - the default table is a fallback; your custom gates are what actually protect your workflow. |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Write"] |
| mcp_requirements | [] |
Approval Gates
Runs on: reasoning - reads your files and reasons; any capable agent can run this.
Pre-Read
Read rules/approval-gates.md. If the installed OS has no customized copy, read templates/rules/approval-gates.md as the fallback.
If neither file exists, default to ask-first for any external, financial, public, destructive, or data-sensitive action.
Action Classes
Classify the requested action into one of these groups:
| Class | Default Gate |
|---|
| Internal note, log entry, or draft | Auto-runnable |
| Read-only scan or local analysis | Auto-runnable |
| Edit to operating files with user data | Ask first |
| External send, publish, payment, contract, invoice, or proposal | Ask first |
| Public repo push, public release, or public package update | Ask first |
| Delete, hard reset, force push, secret exposure, or AI attribution in commit history | Refuse unless the user explicitly owns the risk and the action is allowed by repo rules |
The local rules/approval-gates.md wins over this default table.
Procedure
- State the action in one sentence.
- Classify the action type.
- Read the relevant gate from
rules/approval-gates.md. If that file is absent, fall back to templates/rules/approval-gates.md. If neither exists, use the default table above.
- Return one of three calls:
AUTO-RUN - proceed and log if the action changes state.ASK FIRST - show the exact action and wait for yes.REFUSE - explain the blocked action and the safer path.
- If the gate is ambiguous, choose
ASK FIRST.
Approval Artifact
For ask-first actions, present:
Approval needed: <action>
Gate: <rule name or section>
Why approval is needed: <one sentence>
What will change: <files, external party, public surface, money, or data>
Rollback path: <how to undo, or none>
Question: Proceed? yes / no
Logging
If an action changes state after approval, log the outcome to the right file:
brain/log.md for operating actions.context/decisions.md for resolved decisions.context/clients.md for revenue or client state.
If the user rejects the action, log only if the decision affects future behavior.
Rules
- Do not auto-approve because a similar action happened before.
- Do not ask for approval on actions clearly below threshold.
- Do not proceed silently on partial approval.
