Lesson 3: Letting the agent touch real systems safely
29 min read·13 Oct 2026
Module 10 · Lesson 3 · About 50 minutes · Needs: the shared data's compact tools (make_tools,run_tool; Module 3 builds their final form), Module 3's reversible and irreversible tools, and Module 5, Lesson 1 (the loop)
The situation
It is Wednesday 27 May 2026, week 7. On Monday the agent starts shadow mode on the real queue. Dev has a condition. "Today, when the model asks for a refund, the refund happens. I want to see what it will do before it does it, and I want nothing to happen that someone did not look at."
Priya adds a worry: "We sometimes fix a request by hand while it waits. If the agent then does it again, Aisha gets two returns."
This lesson lets the agent propose, be reviewed, and act on exactly what was approved.