Add Human Approval to a Browser-Agent Session

2 min read

Pause the agent, give an authorized reviewer the live Steel viewer, record the decision, and resume the same browser session.

A human-in-the-loop browser workflow pauses automation at a defined boundary and lets an authorized reviewer inspect or control the same session. The browser state stays in place while your application records the decision.

Embed an interactive viewer

<iframe
  src={`${session.debugUrl}?interactive=true&showControls=true`}
  title="Browser approval session"
  style={{ width: "100%", height: 600, border: 0 }}
/>

Steel documents interactive=true for browser input and showControls=true for navigation controls. A read-only review should omit interactive access.

Treat the debug URL as an access-bearing capability. Serve it only to an authenticated reviewer, avoid placing it in public logs, and expire your application's approval link when the task ends.

Define approval as application state

The iframe is only the control surface. Your workflow needs an explicit state machine:

  1. the agent reaches a gated action;
  2. the worker stops issuing browser commands;
  3. an approval record is created with session and task IDs;
  4. the reviewer inspects or controls the session;
  5. the reviewer approves, rejects, or requests a retry;
  6. the worker resumes only after validating that decision.

Store the reviewer, timestamp, reason, and browser state checkpoint. A Slack message or open viewer tab is not an approval record.

Choose boundaries before execution

Useful approval points include:

  • submitting a form with external effects;
  • sending a message;
  • changing account permissions;
  • confirming a purchase or transfer;
  • accepting terms;
  • handling an unexpected authentication challenge.

Avoid asking for approval after the browser has already performed the action. The worker should stop before the final click or request.

Handle session timeouts

An approval queue can outlive the browser timeout. Set a bounded timeout that covers the expected review window, show the deadline to the reviewer, and define what happens when it expires.

On timeout, fail closed. Start a new session only after deciding whether the previous state can be restored safely through a profile.

Use the human-in-the-loop guide to embed one test session, then verify that automation cannot continue without a recorded decision.