Halt states for autonomous work
2 Jul 2026 · 6 min read
Halt states make blocked, unsafe, waiting, and complete runs legible to operators and future agents.
A halted agent is not always a failed agent. Clear halt states preserve intent and recovery options.
AstraRunner treats this as an execution-platform concern: the run needs durable state, traceable decisions, cost visibility, and enough structure for teams to review what happened after the agent finishes.
Patterns that work
- Distinguish blocked, waiting-for-approval, unsafe, budget-exceeded, failed, and complete.
- Require a reason and next action for every halt.
- Link halts to trace spans and artifacts.
- Let policies decide which halts page humans.
Implementation checklist
- Define halt taxonomy.
- Record halt actor and timestamp.
- Expose resume eligibility.
- Measure halt frequency by workflow.
Watch outs
- A single failed state hides operator choices.
- Silent halts waste time.
- Agents should not self-clear safety halts.
Related reading
How this fits the Astra stack
AstraRunner owns the operational path for agent work: orchestration, scheduling, approval gates, traces, costs, and role-agent handoffs. AstraMemory owns durable context and retrieval. AstraGenie turns those capabilities into product workflows for teams that want automation without rebuilding the platform layer.