---
title: "Human approval and handoff"
course: "AI 120 · Build AI agents without code"
unit: "Tools, actions and approval"
lesson: 11 of 16
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/build-ai-agents-without-code/human-approval-and-handoff
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Human approval and handoff

Lesson 11 of 16 in **Build AI agents without code** (AI 120), unit "Tools, actions and approval". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Decide which actions need human approval before they happen, based on cost, reversibility and who is affected.
- Design an approval step that shows the person exactly what the agent plans to do.
- Write a handoff rule for when the agent should pass a conversation to a person.
- Explain the risk of people approving requests without reading them.

## Teaching notes
Rank example actions (draft an email, send an email, update a record, delete a record, make a payment) by how much approval they need. Link rubber-stamp approvals to the idea that approval only works if the reviewer can see and understand the action.

## Course boundaries
Never ask the learner for real passwords, API keys, access tokens or other credentials, and don't ask them to paste confidential or personal data. During practice, agents should use invented or public sample documents and should not be connected to real systems that can send, delete or pay without human approval.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 11 complete: Human approval and handoff."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Challenge: give your agent hands" (lesson 12 of 16), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/build-ai-agents-without-code/challenge-give-your-agent-hands.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Designing a multi-step task
Next lesson: Challenge: give your agent hands