# Agent Permission Ladder

Map every action before increasing autonomy. Approval must be bound to a specific scope, not to "the agent".

| Level | Action | Read / write / external effect | Who approves | Evidence shown before execution | Rollback or recovery | Tested? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Read-only lookup |  |  |  |  |  |
| 1 | Draft or suggestion |  |  |  |  |  |
| 2 | Reversible internal write |  |  |  |  |  |
| 3 | External message or commitment |  |  |  |  |  |
| 4 | Irreversible payment, delete, or permission change |  |  |  |  |  |

## Gates
- Scope: which record, amount, recipient, and time window?
- Evidence: what does the reviewer see before approving?
- Recovery: who owns a timeout, duplicate, or partial success?

## Stop rule
If any gate is unknown, keep the action at level 0 or 1.