# Human In The Loop

Use when classifying a slice closeout (auto-continue / human gate / park), routing a...

- Repository: https://github.com/mvschwarz/openrig (8541 stars)
- Category: Design
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add mvschwarz/openrig --skill human-in-the-loop -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add mvschwarz/openrig --skill human-in-the-loop -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add mvschwarz/openrig --skill human-in-the-loop -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add mvschwarz/openrig --skill human-in-the-loop -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Use when classifying a slice closeout (auto-continue / human gate / park), routing a real decision to a human, or designing a human queue/dashboard surface. Treats humans as durable network participants with attention surfaces, queues, and decision records, escalation lands as a durable attention item, not a chat message. Approval is NOT required for every clean closeout; the default RSI conveyor continues unless an explicit human gate is reached.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Human In The Loop

The primitive that treats humans as **durable network participants**, attention surfaces, queues, decision records, routing semantics, not
as ad-hoc chat receivers.

**Autonomy is not the absence of humans; it is knowing when human
judgment is needed and making that handoff crisp.**

## Use this when

- A slice closeout needs classifying: auto-continue, human gate, or park
- A real decision needs to land in front of a human (usage limits, provider auth, roadmap tradeoff, product-intent ambiguity)
- Designing a human queue/dashboard surface
- Returning a hot potato to orchestration after human approval

## Don't use this when

- The slice closeout is clean and `PROGRESS.md` already names the next safe slice. **Default RSI conveyor continues; do NOT manufacture a human gate.**
- The escalation is just a status update. Humans are participants for *decisions*, not narration.
- The next owner is another agent. Use queue-handoff, not human-in-the-loop.

## The 3-class closeout classification

In a productized daemon-backed version, closeout classifies the next
step BEFORE touching the human queue:

| Class | When | Action |
|---|---|---|
| **auto-continue** | Slice closes cleanly, next named slice in workstream plan | Mark closed; create next-owner qitem from plan |
| **human gate** | Genuine decision needed (usage limits, provider auth, product-intent ambiguity, roadmap tradeoff) | Create human queue item with proof + decision text + recommended default + action outcomes |
| **park** | Intentionally stop the conveyor (e.g., waiting on external) | Stop with reason + resumption path |

## Failure modes (5)

The rest: https://github.com/mvschwarz/openrig/blob/HEAD/packages/daemon/specs/agents/shared/skills/core/human-in-the-loop/SKILL.md