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Hardened/Flexible/Human Gate

Why Step Classification is Needed​

Imagine: you ask AI to "process this month's expense reimbursements." In this task, some steps are deterministic (calculating amounts), some require AI judgment (categorizing expense items), and some must be decided by you (reimbursements over 5,000 yuan require approval).

Without distinguishing these steps, either you wouldn't dare delegate the task to AI (what if it makes decisions on its own?), or you'd have to watch the whole time (in which case you might as well do it yourself).

DesireCore solves this trust problem by explicitly categorizing each step of a task into one of three types.

Three Step Types​

Hardened Step​

Deterministic execution like an assembly line.

Hardened steps are completely deterministic operations: given an input, the output is uniquely determined. Like a machine on a factory assembly line, operating according to fixed rules with no "creative execution."

Characteristics:

  • Based on rules, decision trees, fixed templates, or fixed API calls
  • Results are completely predictable and repeatable
  • No AI reasoning or judgment involved

Examples:

  • Calculating reimbursement amounts (mathematical operations)
  • Formatting documents according to templates (fixed templates)
  • Querying records in a database (fixed queries)
  • Sending notifications in standard formats (fixed content)

Flexible Step​

The agent has room for autonomous judgment.

Flexible steps require AI model reasoning, generation, or induction capabilities. Like an experienced employee, applying their judgment within guidelines to handle problems.

Characteristics:

  • Involves AI/LLM reasoning, text generation, information induction
  • Results may vary depending on context
  • Autonomous operation within the framework of behavioral guidelines

Examples:

  • Analyzing risky clauses in contracts (requires understanding and judgment)
  • Writing email replies (requires text generation)
  • Summarizing meeting points (requires information extraction)
  • Deciding task priority sorting (requires comprehensive judgment)

Human Gate​

Requires your personal confirmation to proceed.

A Human Gate is a "safety door" — the task pauses at this step, waiting for your explicit instruction. Like important documents requiring a manager's signature, certain operations must be approved by a human.

Characteristics:

  • Automatically pauses when execution reaches this step
  • Requires user confirmation, issuance, or supplementary information
  • Trigger conditions can be customized

Examples:

  • Confirming content before sending emails (external communication)
  • Payment operations exceeding amount thresholds (financial risk)
  • Deleting or modifying important files (data security)
  • Publishing content externally (brand risk)

Comparison Table of Three Step Types​

DimensionHardened StepFlexible StepHuman Gate
ExecutorRules/CodeAI ModelHuman
DeterminismCompletely deterministicHas flexibilityDepends on human judgment
SpeedFastestRelatively fastDepends on human response
RiskExtremely lowControllableHuman-guarded
AnalogyAssembly line workerExperienced employeeNode requiring approval
Applicable ScenariosOperations with clear rulesRequires understanding and judgmentHigh-risk or sensitive operations

When to Use Which Step Type​

Scenarios Suitable for Hardened Steps​

  • Calculations with clear formulas or rules
  • Data format conversion
  • Template filling
  • Status checks and conditional judgments

Scenarios Suitable for Flexible Steps​

  • Text understanding and generation
  • Information extraction and induction
  • Multi-factor comprehensive judgment
  • Creative work

Scenarios Suitable for Human Gates​

  • Operations involving money
  • External communication (emails, messages)
  • Deletion or irreversible operations
  • Involving privacy or sensitive information
  • First-time execution of a new type of task

Practical Operation Example​

Taking "Help me review this contract" as an example:

StepTypeDescription
1. Parse contract formatHardenedExtract contract section structure
2. Identify key clausesFlexibleAI understands clause meanings and marks risks
3. Calculate penalty ratioHardenedCalculate according to formula, compare with threshold
4. Write review commentsFlexibleAI generates professional review report
5. Confirm whether to send to clientHuman GateManual confirmation before external sending

You can see the type label for each step in the receipt, clearly knowing which were completed autonomously by AI and which were confirmed by you.

Next Steps​