What is agent steering?

Definition

Artificial intelligence agent steering intervenes while an agent is running to redirect unproductive or expensive behavior. A system may inject a concise instruction, narrow the task, reduce tool output or require the agent to summarize progress.

Steering can preserve useful work when throttling or termination would cause failure. Interventions should be authorized, recorded and evaluated because poorly timed guidance can change task intent or hide an underlying harness problem.

Acronyms and aliases

runtime agent guidance synonymAI agent steering variantartificial intelligence agent steering variant

Frequently asked questions

How is agent steering different from halting?

Steering adjusts behavior so work can continue, while halting stops the run and prevents further actions.

What are examples of AI agent steering?

Examples include concise corrective instructions, context compaction, tool-output limits and requests to finish within a budget.

Videos explaining agent steering