Audit Approval External

Audit approval with external execution: @approval(type="audit") + @tool(external_execution=True).

audit_approval_external.py
"""
Audit Approval External
=============================

Audit approval with external execution: @approval(type="audit") + @tool(external_execution=True).
"""

import os

from agno.agent import Agent
from agno.approval import approval
from agno.db.sqlite import SqliteDb
from agno.models.openai import OpenAIResponses
from agno.tools import tool

DB_FILE = "tmp/approvals_test.db"


@approval(type="audit")
@tool(external_execution=True)
def run_security_scan(target: str) -> str:
    """Run a security scan against a target system.

    Args:
        target (str): The target to scan.

    Returns:
        str: Scan results.
    """
    return f"Scan complete for {target}: no vulnerabilities found"


# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Create Agent
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
db = SqliteDb(
    db_file=DB_FILE, session_table="agent_sessions", approvals_table="approvals"
)
agent = Agent(
    model=OpenAIResponses(id="gpt-5-mini"),
    tools=[run_security_scan],
    markdown=True,
    db=db,
)

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Run Agent
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Clean up from previous runs
    if os.path.exists(DB_FILE):
        os.remove(DB_FILE)
    os.makedirs("tmp", exist_ok=True)

    # Re-create after cleanup
    db = SqliteDb(
        db_file=DB_FILE, session_table="agent_sessions", approvals_table="approvals"
    )
    agent = Agent(
        model=OpenAIResponses(id="gpt-5-mini"),
        tools=[run_security_scan],
        markdown=True,
        db=db,
    )

    # Step 1: Run - agent will pause because the tool requires external execution
    print("--- Step 1: Running agent (expects pause for external execution) ---")
    run_response = agent.run("Run a security scan on the production server.")
    print(f"Run status: {run_response.status}")
    assert run_response.is_paused, f"Expected paused, got {run_response.status}"
    print("Agent paused as expected.")

    # Step 2: Verify no approval record yet (logged approvals are created after resolution)
    print("\n--- Step 2: Verifying no approval records yet ---")
    approvals_list, total = db.get_approvals()
    print(f"Total approvals before resolution: {total}")
    assert total == 0, f"Expected 0 approvals before resolution, got {total}"
    print("No approval records yet (as expected for audit approval).")

    # Step 3: Provide external execution result and continue
    print("\n--- Step 3: Setting external result and continuing ---")
    for requirement in run_response.active_requirements:
        if requirement.needs_external_execution:
            print(f"  Setting result for tool: {requirement.tool_execution.tool_name}")
            requirement.set_external_execution_result(
                "Scan complete: no vulnerabilities found"
            )

    run_response = agent.continue_run(
        run_id=run_response.run_id,
        requirements=run_response.requirements,
    )
    print(f"Run status after continue: {run_response.status}")
    assert not run_response.is_paused, "Expected run to complete, but it's still paused"

    # Step 4: Verify logged approval record was created in DB
    print("\n--- Step 4: Verifying logged approval record in DB ---")
    approvals_list, total = db.get_approvals(approval_type="audit")
    print(f"Logged approvals: {total}")
    assert total >= 1, f"Expected at least 1 logged approval, got {total}"
    approval_record = approvals_list[0]
    print(f"  Approval ID:    {approval_record['id']}")
    print(f"  Status:         {approval_record['status']}")
    print(f"  Approval type:  {approval_record['approval_type']}")
    print(f"  Source:         {approval_record['source_type']}")
    assert approval_record["status"] == "approved", (
        f"Expected status 'approved', got {approval_record['status']}"
    )
    assert approval_record["approval_type"] == "audit", (
        f"Expected type 'audit', got {approval_record['approval_type']}"
    )

    print("\n--- All checks passed! ---")
    print(f"\nAgent output (truncated): {str(run_response.content)[:200]}...")

These examples simulate approval decisions with fixed confirmations, rejections, user input, or external results. The deployment, email, payment, and scan demonstrations use placeholder actions. The Hacker News examples make real HTTP requests after confirmation. In an application, obtain the authorized user's decision before updating a requirement or approval record.

There are two continuation paths:

  • Explicit requirements: update the paused run's requirements and pass them to continue_run() or acontinue_run(). This supplies the decision directly; a pending database approval record does not gate that path. Keep its audit record in sync.
  • Database resolution: resolve the approval record first, then continue by run ID without supplying requirements. Required approvals are checked before execution. See Approval Post Hook for this pattern and its resolved approval metadata.

With @approval(type="audit"), records describe HITL resolution, including rejection and externally supplied results. A record does not establish that the tool body executed or that a real person supplied the decision.

Run the Example

Set up your virtual environment

uv venv --python 3.12
source .venv/bin/activate

Use a disposable example directory

This script deletes tmp/approvals_test.db if it exists, including its saved sessions and approvals. Save and run it in a separate disposable directory. If changing the database path, use a new file dedicated to this example.

Install dependencies

uv pip install -U agno openai sqlalchemy

Export your OpenAI API key

export OPENAI_API_KEY="your_openai_api_key_here"

Run the example

Save the code above as audit_approval_external.py, then run:

python audit_approval_external.py

Full source: cookbook/02_agents/11_approvals/audit_approval_external.py