# Ask before a long conversation continues > Make every turn past a set number in a conversation wait for a person's approval. This guide makes each turn of a long conversation wait for a reviewer, once the conversation has run a number of turns. Some conversations should get a person's attention once they run long: a support chat that hasn't been resolved in a few turns, say. `hitl.afterTurns` lets the first turns of a conversation run, then makes each turn after them wait for a reviewer before it starts. ## Before you start - **An agent,** in a pack on a runtime such as `kindgi dev`, with Kindgi 0.1's CLI. This guide uses `acme-ops.echo-agent`, from a sample pack named `acme-ops` (`kindgi init acme-ops --template=sample`). - **A reviewer's role.** Under `kindgi dev`, you're an `admin` reviewer. [Decide an approval](https://docs.kindgi.com/v0.1.9/guides/approvals/decide-an-approval.md) shows how to become one elsewhere. ## Set the limit Give the agent's conversation policy a limit. Ask your coding agent: "Once a conversation runs long, make my agent wait for a person before each turn." For reference, it adds a limit like this: - **TypeScript** ```ts excerpt // in agents/echo-agent/index.ts conversationPolicy: { historyLimit: 10, hitl: { afterTurns: 2 } }, ``` - **Python** ```python excerpt # in agents/echo_agent.py conversation_policy={"historyLimit": 10, "hitl": {"afterTurns": 2}}, ``` - **Java** ```java excerpt // in src/main/java/acmeops/agents/EchoAgent.java .set("conversationPolicy", Map.of("historyLimit", 10, "hitl", Map.of("afterTurns", 2))) ``` - **Scala** ```scala excerpt // in src/main/scala/acmeops/agents/EchoAgent.scala .set("conversationPolicy", Map("historyLimit" -> 10, "hitl" -> Map("afterTurns" -> 2))) ``` `afterTurns: 2` lets two turns run as usual. From the third on, each turn of the same conversation waits for an approval before it runs. ## Try it Start a conversation, then continue it twice. `--agent` is the agent, and `--input` its input. `` is the `conversationId` the first turn returns, in its `output`: - **TypeScript** ```sh pnpm exec kindgi runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"My order is late."}' pnpm exec kindgi runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"It was due Monday.","conversationId":""}' pnpm exec kindgi runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"Can you refund it?","conversationId":""}' ``` - **Python** ```sh uv run kindgi runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"My order is late."}' uv run kindgi runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"It was due Monday.","conversationId":""}' uv run kindgi runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"Can you refund it?","conversationId":""}' ``` - **Java** ```sh ./kindgiw runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"My order is late."}' ./kindgiw runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"It was due Monday.","conversationId":""}' ./kindgiw runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"Can you refund it?","conversationId":""}' ``` - **Scala** ```sh ./kindgiw runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"My order is late."}' ./kindgiw runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"It was due Monday.","conversationId":""}' ./kindgiw runs start --agent=acme-ops.echo-agent --input='{"userMessage":"Can you refund it?","conversationId":""}' ``` The first two runs complete. The third is `suspended`: ```json excerpt { "id": "0c424165-fc78-4563-965f-5ca9ba0ec4a9", … "status": "suspended", … } ``` Its approval says why. List the pending approvals. `--status=pending` lists only the ones still `pending`: - **TypeScript** ```sh pnpm exec kindgi approvals list --status=pending ``` - **Python** ```sh uv run kindgi approvals list --status=pending ``` - **Java** ```sh ./kindgiw approvals list --status=pending ``` - **Scala** ```sh ./kindgiw approvals list --status=pending ``` ```json excerpt { "data": [ { "id": "ff98fdd3-5d1d-4245-bdab-2ab9971f3962", … "subjectKind": "agent-turn:session-hitl-gate", "subjectRef": { "agentId": "acme-ops.echo-agent", "threshold": 2, "turnCount": 2, "agentVersion": "0.1.0", "conversationId": "5d72d0da-188f-4ea0-b923-766be818891e" }, "requiredRole": "standard", "status": "pending", "title": "HITL review required for Echo Agent", "description": "Conversation reached HITL threshold: 2 turns >= 2", "provenanceRef": { "runId": "0c424165-fc78-4563-965f-5ca9ba0ec4a9" }, … } ], "hasMore": false } ``` The turn hasn't run yet: the model hasn't been called. `kindgi runs resume ` names the approval the run waits for, with the command that decides it, as [What a run waits for](https://docs.kindgi.com/v0.1.9/guides/approvals/decide-an-approval.md#what-a-run-waits-for) shows. ## Approve or reject Decide the approval to let the turn run or stop it. `` is the approval's `id` from the list: - **TypeScript** ```sh pnpm exec kindgi approvals complete --decision=approve ``` - **Python** ```sh uv run kindgi approvals complete --decision=approve ``` - **Java** ```sh ./kindgiw approvals complete --decision=approve ``` - **Scala** ```sh ./kindgiw approvals complete --decision=approve ``` It prints the recorded decision as JSON: the approval, the decision, and what it did to the run. The turn runs, and it's the conversation's third: the run's output has `"turnNumber": 3`. The next turn asks again: every turn past the limit needs its own approval. Reject, and the run fails without calling the model. `--rationale` is kept with the decision. Then get the run by its id: - **TypeScript** ```sh pnpm exec kindgi approvals complete ff98fdd3-5d1d-4245-bdab-2ab9971f3962 --decision=reject --rationale="Hand this one to a person" pnpm exec kindgi runs get 0c424165-fc78-4563-965f-5ca9ba0ec4a9 ``` - **Python** ```sh uv run kindgi approvals complete ff98fdd3-5d1d-4245-bdab-2ab9971f3962 --decision=reject --rationale="Hand this one to a person" uv run kindgi runs get 0c424165-fc78-4563-965f-5ca9ba0ec4a9 ``` - **Java** ```sh ./kindgiw approvals complete ff98fdd3-5d1d-4245-bdab-2ab9971f3962 --decision=reject --rationale="Hand this one to a person" ./kindgiw runs get 0c424165-fc78-4563-965f-5ca9ba0ec4a9 ``` - **Scala** ```sh ./kindgiw approvals complete ff98fdd3-5d1d-4245-bdab-2ab9971f3962 --decision=reject --rationale="Hand this one to a person" ./kindgiw runs get 0c424165-fc78-4563-965f-5ca9ba0ec4a9 ``` ```json excerpt { "id": "0c424165-fc78-4563-965f-5ca9ba0ec4a9", … "status": "failed", … "failureMessage": "{\"__agent_turn_failure__\":true,\"error\":{\"code\":\"hitl-rejected\",\"message\":\"Reviewer rejected the session-HITL gate: Hand this one to a person\",\"rationale\":\"Hand this one to a person\"}}" } ``` A rejected turn doesn't count: the conversation still has two turns, and the next message asks again. You need to be a reviewer to see and decide these, as [Decide an approval](https://docs.kindgi.com/v0.1.9/guides/approvals/decide-an-approval.md) shows. ## Next - [Decide an approval](https://docs.kindgi.com/v0.1.9/guides/approvals/decide-an-approval.md) - [Ask before a tool runs](https://docs.kindgi.com/v0.1.9/guides/approvals/ask-before-a-tool-runs.md) - [Hold a conversation](https://docs.kindgi.com/v0.1.9/guides/agents/conversations.md)