Scenario: Legitimate Work Blocked
A legitimate $700 dataset purchase hits the $500 approval threshold. The workflow pauses. What happens next is the whole point of FLAGGED.
What happens
The transaction returns FLAGGED, not BLOCKED — it's held, not denied.
It lands in the approval queue with amount, merchant, category, and the rule that fired.
A human approves it in minutes; the agent proceeds.
Why FLAGGED beats hard-blocking
Hard rules stop bad spend but also stop legitimate edge cases.
Approval thresholds keep agents fast while material purchases wait for a human.
The honest note
False positives are the cost of control. The queue makes them minutes, not blockers — and the log makes them reviewable.
The decision
{
"decision": "FLAGGED",
"reason": "Over approval threshold $500",
"rule_id": "rul_apr_02",
"transaction_id": "txn_88b2c4"
}
# Human approves in the queue -> agent proceedsHeld for review, not denied.
FAQ
How long does approval take?
As long as your team takes — the queue is designed for minutes, and can be owned by whoever holds the budget.
Can I tune the threshold?
Yes — thresholds are rules. Raise them if reviews are noise; lower them if approvals are rare.
Related
Stop the next $12,400 night.
One API call (or MCP tool) in front of every agent transaction — APPROVED, BLOCKED, or FLAGGED, deterministic, ~5 ms, fully logged.
See plans — from $99/mo Try a live check