Timeout

HITL timeouts set a deadline for Step confirmation and output-review responses. When the timeout expires, the workflow resolves the pending requirement based on the on_timeout policy the next time continue_run() is called. Step user-input pauses and other workflow primitives do not support timeout policies.

from agno.workflow import Workflow
from agno.workflow.step import Step
from agno.workflow.types import HumanReview, OnTimeout
from agno.db.sqlite import SqliteDb

workflow = Workflow(
    name="timeout_workflow",
    db=SqliteDb(db_file="workflow.db"),
    steps=[
        Step(
            name="draft_email",
            agent=draft_agent,
            human_review=HumanReview(
                requires_output_review=True,
                output_review_message="Review the draft (auto-approves in 5 minutes)",
                timeout=300,
                on_timeout=OnTimeout.approve,
            ),
        ),
        Step(name="send_email", agent=send_agent),
    ],
)

There is no background timer.

Parameters

Set these fields inside HumanReview:

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`timeout`	`int`	`None`	Seconds before auto-resolving. `None` = no timeout
`on_timeout`	`OnTimeout`	`OnTimeout.cancel`	Action when timeout expires

OnTimeout Options

Value	Behavior
`OnTimeout.approve`	Confirm the requirement and continue
`OnTimeout.skip`	Skip the step
`OnTimeout.cancel`	Cancel the workflow

Timeout Flow

run_output = workflow.run("Draft an email about the team lunch")

if run_output.is_paused:
    for req in run_output.steps_requiring_output_review:
        print(f"Draft: {req.step_output.content}")
        print(f"Timeout at: {req.timeout_at}")
        print(f"On timeout: {req.on_timeout}")

    # If called after timeout expires, auto-resolves based on on_timeout
    run_output = workflow.continue_run(run_output)

The timeout_at datetime is available on the StepRequirement for frontend countdown display.

With Output Review

With output review, an expired approve policy accepts the output on the next continue_run() call.

from agno.workflow.types import HumanReview

Step(
    name="generate_report",
    agent=report_agent,
    human_review=HumanReview(
        requires_output_review=True,
        output_review_message="Review the report",
        timeout=600,           # 10 minutes
        on_timeout=OnTimeout.approve,  # Auto-approve after 10 minutes
    ),
)

With Confirmation

Timeout also works with pre-execution confirmation:

from agno.workflow.types import HumanReview

Step(
    name="deploy",
    agent=deploy_agent,
    human_review=HumanReview(
        requires_confirmation=True,
        confirmation_message="Deploy to production?",
        timeout=120,            # 2 minutes
        on_timeout=OnTimeout.cancel,  # Cancel if no response
    ),
)

Choosing an OnTimeout Policy

Policy	Use When
`approve`	The action or output is low-risk and delays are costly
`skip`	The step is optional. Skipping doesn't break the workflow
`cancel`	The step is critical. Proceeding without review is unacceptable