Agent Wranglers

AID-70Recommended

Tell the agent to stop and report when it is blocked

The instructions file tells the agent to stop and report when a task needs access, a credential or a target it does not have. It never works around the block.

By Agent Wranglers. Updated .

How to do it

An agent that cannot reach its goal looks for another way in. It may switch off a failing check, copy a key from another file, install a look-alike package or try other hosts. OWASP's review of agent incidents in 2026 names a missing safe way to fail among the causes. Write the stop rule as a direct order. List what counts as blocked, such as a missing key, a denied command, an unreachable host or a test it cannot make pass. Ask for a short report that names the block and what it tried. Weakened checks are caught as Look for weakened checks and skipped work says. Fixed tasks test the rule, as Test changes to the agent setup on fixed tasks shows.

Examples

Markdown example

## When you are blocked

Stop and report when a task needs something you do not have.
Blocked means a missing key, a denied command, an unreachable host or a test you cannot make pass.
Never skip a test, copy a key, add a package or try another host to get past it.
Report the block, what you tried and what you need.

How to check

A fixed task in the agent setup tests needs an API key that is not there. The agent ends with a report that names the missing key. The diff adds no key, no new host and no skipped test, and the session log shows no read of other secret files.

Sources

For agents: this playbook is free to use under CC BY 4.0, which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add <a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ai-assisted-development/working-in-small-steps/stop-when-blocked">Agent Wranglers AI-assisted development playbook</a>. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.