Autonomy has a hard edge
Founders decide how much reversible work runs automatically. Consequential actions stop for approval no matter what the dials say.
Autonomy dials
| Level | Behavior | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Approve-first | Casa proposes; you confirm before reversible work runs | Every department starts here |
| Auto for reversible | Department work that is cheap to undo runs without asking | Opt-in, per department |
| Unattended | Sessions run without you present, on your own API key | Explicit opt-in only |
Hard gates
These stop for a human at every autonomy level, in every harness:
- Spending money
- Publishing anything outward-facing
- Shipping to production
- Destructive or hard-to-reverse actions
CASA 07GOVERNANCE GATE STUDYDIALS / HARD LINE / QUEUE
DEPARTMENT DIALSPER FUNCTION
ENGINEERINGAUTOReversible local work
GROWTHAPPROVE FIRSTCampaign draft
Every department starts at approve first.
No department dial can cross this line.
FOUNDER QUEUEPERMISSION
01Launch announcementWAITING
02Merge release branchWAITING
Approval never stands in for execution.
Approval is permission, not execution
The ledger records who approved what and when. The action still has to complete and be recorded before the playbook is marked done, so an approval can never silently stand in for the work itself.
{"ts":"2026-08-01T09:14:22Z","gate":"publish", "subject":"launch post","decision":"approved", "by":"founder","executed":"2026-08-01T09:31:07Z"}Note: Interactive is the default
Normal use runs with the founder present on the harness subscription. Unattended operation requires your own API key and explicit opt-in, and the hard gates above still stop it.