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Approve the plan before it continues

To approve a plan, read it, change what is wrong, and say exactly what the chat may do next. That stop is an approval gate. 'Looks good' is not one.

Next step: copy the first prompt that matches your task. Fill in the brackets. Send only that.

A prompt is the message you paste. An approval gate is a stop you control. A checkpoint is a pause after one phase. School pages teach. They do not do the homework. Follow your teacher's rules.

How to do it

  1. 1 Read every line of the plan. Check the goal, the facts, and the order. Mark anything you did not say.
  2. 2 Edit in a reply. Say what stays, what goes, and what fact to add. Do not start a new chat and lose the plan.
  3. 3 Open the gate with a clear yes. Name the phase that may start, and say the chat must stop when that phase is done.
  4. 4 Keep later phases closed. If it offers to finish the rest, say no. The next gate opens only after you inspect this phase.

Work

Let it draft the email, not send it

The plan has four steps. You only want the draft. You will send it yourself.

Approval gate. I read the plan. Here are my edits.

Keep: the goal and the three facts I typed.
Cut: any line I did not say, and any offer to send the email.
Add: the tone is calm and short. I sign it [your name].

You may do phase 1 only: a draft under 120 words. Then stop. Do not send anything. I will read the draft before you touch phase 2.

School

Approve a practice quiz, not an essay

The plan wanted to outline an essay you must write yourself. You change it to questions.

This is for learning. Do not write anything I will turn in. Follow my teacher's rules.

Approval gate. I edited the plan.

Cut: writing a thesis, an outline I could turn in, or any paragraph of the essay.
Keep: questions that make me explain the idea in my own words.

You may do phase 1 only: 5 questions on [topic], one at a time. Wait for my answer before the next question. Do not show the answer first. Then stop.

Life

Approve a party list before the invite

The plan jumped to an invitation. You still need a time, a place, and a headcount that are real.

Approval gate. I read the plan for [child or event]'s party.

Keep: [date], [place], [number of kids], budget [amount].
Cut: any game, food, or price you invented. Cut the invitation for now.
Add: one adult stays in the room. No nuts.

You may do phase 1 only: a schedule from start to cake, with a shopping list that uses my budget. Mark anything you are unsure about. Then stop. Do not write the invite until I approve this list.

Common mistakes

  • Replying 'looks good' without reading the plan.
  • Approving every later phase at once, so there is no next stop.
  • Letting an agent mode send, buy, or delete before you have read the step.
  • Opening a new chat, so the edited plan is gone.

More in this section: Ask for a plan before the work · Stop the yes-man reply

Practice on a real task: Write a difficult email · Plan a kid's birthday party

Last updated · All director guides

Where this comes from

  • Anthropic, “Trustworthy agents in practice” (April 9, 2026). Anthropic says an agent plans, acts, looks at the result, and repeats until the job is done or it needs a person. In Claude Code, Plan Mode shows the plan first. You can edit it and approve it before any work starts, and you can still step in later.
  • Anthropic, “Building effective agents” (December 19, 2024). Anthropic says an agent can pause for a person at a checkpoint. One pattern they describe is to write an outline, check that the outline is good, and only then write the piece.
  • OpenAI Help, “ChatGPT Work and Codex”. OpenAI describes Work as an agent for longer, multi-step jobs. The help page says you can review progress, change direction, and approve important actions. If your account does not show Work, use the same stops in a normal chat.

Common questions

What is an approval gate?

A stop you control. The chat shows the plan. You change it or accept it. Only then may it do the next piece.

Is 'go ahead' an approval?

Only if you read the plan and you mean that exact plan. If you have not read it, say so and ask it to wait.

What if a product asks me to approve on screen?

Read the action. Approve the one thing you want. Decline send, pay, or delete until you have checked it. OpenAI's help page for ChatGPT Work says important actions can need your approval. Spoken 'yes' is not the same as the on-screen control.

Can I approve schoolwork the chat wrote?

No. You can approve a practice plan. You cannot approve the chat to write the assignment you turn in.