AuctraRuntime evaluation & policy
Dual control for high-value agent actions
Require two human approvals above thresholds while keeping low-value paths fast—with Auctra approval routing.
September 3, 2026 · 6 min read · Markdown version
What is dual control for high-value agent actions?
Dual control for high-value agent actions addresses a gap between authenticated access and accountable action: sponsors, bounded delegations, and evaluateAction before irreversible side effects.
Production teams use Auctra to make dual control defensible to security, finance, and regulators—not just operational for engineering.
Without authority on the execution path, agents can mis-spend, over-refund, or violate policy at machine speed.
dual control framework (5 layers)
Sponsor registry — named human owner for every production agent in Auctra.
Scoped delegation — action types, limits, and TTL aligned to dual control.
Pre-action evaluation — evaluateAction before consequential execution.
Human approval — reviewers captured when automated limits are insufficient.
Audit evidence — retention tier matched to compliance: Builder, Team, or Business.
What to deploy first with Auctra
Register one agent with a sponsor; issue a delegation scoped to dual control; integrate evaluateAction on the highest-risk tool first.
Expand coverage from audit signals: blocks, approvals, and limit-exceeded attempts. Upgrade retention before external audits.
Common pitfalls
Indefinite delegations and shared sponsor accounts undermine every control above.
Skipping evaluateAction on 'internal only' tools creates shadow paths that bypass authority entirely.
Key takeaways
- Authority is action-centric: evaluateAction governs dual control, not model output alone.
- Sponsors and expiring delegations make autonomous side effects legible to leadership.
- Audit-by-construction beats reconstructing intent after incidents or disputes.
Implementation checklist
- Register production agents with sponsors.
- Map dual control workflows to actionTypes and risk tiers.
- Integrate evaluateAction before irreversible tools.
- Configure approval routes for limit exceptions.
- Review accountability exports monthly.
People also ask
- Why does dual control need authority infrastructure?
- Sponsor-backed delegations and pre-action evaluateAction on Auctra—before dual control side effects execute.
- How does Auctra enforce this?
- Registers sponsors, issues expiring delegations, evaluates actions, and preserves auditable accountability records.
- What plan should we start on?
- Builder (free) for pilots; Team or Business when retention and compliance exports matter.
Try in Auctra Console
Maps to: Authority policies
Pilot dual control on Builder today
Register an agent, issue a delegation, evaluate one action, and review audit evidence—free.
- Create a free account: https://console.auctra.tech/auth/signup?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=cta&utm_campaign=dual-control-high-value-agent-actions
- In Authority policies (https://console.auctra.tech/console/policies), define policy rules and risk routing.
- Integrate evaluateAction before the consequential tool executes.
- Open Audit and verify sponsor, delegation, decision, and outcome.
Part of guide
Runtime evaluation & policy
Pre-action gates, policy engines, approval routing, and the difference between observing agents and governing side effects.
Browse full guide →Related guides
Make authority executable.
Evaluate agent actions against bounded, expiring delegation before they reach the real world. Start free on Builder — upgrade when audit retention and accountability matter.