Interrupts and human review
Words made simple
A few useful meanings before you read the explanation.
- API
- A way for one piece of software to ask another for data or an action. A claims API might return the current status of a claim.
- Checkpoint
- A saved snapshot of workflow progress that can help it continue later.
- Persistence
- Saving information so it remains available after a request ends or a process restarts.
More words from this lesson
- Idempotency
- Making a repeated request have the same intended business effect as one request. It helps avoid duplicate submissions or payments.
- Authentication
- Checking who a user or service is, such as by verifying a login session.
- Authorization
- Checking what that identity is allowed to read or do. Being logged in does not grant access to every record.
- HTTP
- The request-and-response protocol used on the web. HTTPS adds encryption to protect information in transit.
Overview
- An interrupt pauses graph execution and exposes a payload for external input.
- Resumption supplies the requested value.
- The node containing the interrupt can run again from its beginning on resume, so code before the pause may repeat.
Why this matters
Approval and clarification should survive process restarts without keeping an HTTP request open.
An everyday example
Put a case in a “waiting for customer” tray, then retrieve it when the customer replies.
A technical example
Persist proposal → interrupt for decision → resume through an authenticated endpoint → execute approved operation in a separate idempotent node.
How it works
- Prepare stable payload
- Pause/checkpoint
- End current request
- Record reviewer decision
- Resume same thread
- Validate decision
- Continue.
Architecture and flow
Graph pause → review record/UI → resume API → authorized decision → graph continuation.
The insurance assistant example
A draft's document list and accident facts are reviewed before submission.
When to use it
Missing data, consequential review, and exception escalation.
When to avoid it
Avoid sending emails or creating claims immediately before the interrupt, where replay could repeat them.
Interview answer
“Interrupts provide resumable human input. I keep pre-pause work free of irreversible side effects and authenticate and validate every resume.”
Benefits, trade-offs, and production considerations
- Do not swallow interrupt control flow in a broad catch.
- Keep interrupt order stable for pending runs, handle duplicate decisions, and prevent edited proposals from inheriting old approvals.
Can you explain it without the notes?
Interrupts and human review
Use your own words. Explain an example and one limitation before checking the explanation.
Check your explanation
An interrupt pauses graph execution and exposes a payload for external input. Resumption supplies the requested value. The node containing the interrupt can run again from its beginning on resume, so code before the pause may repeat.
Turn this concept into a clear answer.
Practice this conceptAdapted from 13_AI.MD · “Interrupts and human review”. Examples are study fragments; framework behavior can depend on your version.