Specimen

A write held for a named approver

This illustrative specimen shows an AI agent write that elan1 held for a named approver because the rules asked for one. It shows why the write was held, who was asked, what the approver saw and how the decision appears in the 16-field proof record. The company is fictional and all data is illustrative.

A write intent that passed every gate but sits above the agent's autonomy ceiling. It waits at rung 6 for a named approver who is not the asker. Nothing is written until that person decides — or the hold expires.

Illustrative specimenIllustrative specimen. Not customer data.

HeldMode A · EnforcedL1 · GuardedL1 Guarded and L2 Attested available

Published 10 Oct 2026 by elan1.

01The approval request

Waiting for a named approver.

Decide as the approver and see what each outcome writes. Nothing here touches a real system.

Illustrative specimenIllustrative specimen. Not customer data.

Illustrative specimen — not customer dataL1 · Guarded

Approval request · held at rung 6 AUTONOMY Waiting for a named approver

write_id: wr_specimen_7c4; Becomes F04 on the proof record, whatever the outcome.
write_type: journal_entry.post; On the declaration's list of allowed write types.
declaration: decl_month_end_close · v7; The rules in seven blocks, at the version in force.
policy_version: 2027.06.1; evaluate() ran these rules. No model.
proposed_by: agt_specimen_ap01 · agent; The asker. It can never approve its own change.
autonomy: A1 · above the ceiling for this scope; The guardrail measured a blast radius larger than A1 may change alone.
pre_gates: G1–G9 passed; Including the six that can never be skipped.
approver: usr_specimen_controller; Named in the declaration. Not the asker.
requested_at: 2027-07-14T11:05:12+05:30; When the hold began.
expires_at: 2027-07-15T11:05:12+05:30; Expiry means refusal. Set in the declaration.
status: Held; Nothing has been written to the system of record.

Decide as usr_specimen_controller

when · who · hash — checked and recorded by elan1 Governtamper-evident (L1)

Approval request as JSONIllustrative specimen

{
  "_label": "Illustrative specimen. Not customer data.",
  "write_id": "wr_specimen_7c4",
  "write_type": "journal_entry.post",
  "declaration": "decl_month_end_close · v7",
  "policy_version": "2027.06.1",
  "proposed_by": "agt_specimen_ap01 · agent",
  "autonomy": "A1 · above the ceiling for this scope",
  "pre_gates": "G1–G9 passed",
  "approver": "usr_specimen_controller",
  "requested_at": "2027-07-14T11:05:12+05:30",
  "expires_at": "2027-07-15T11:05:12+05:30",
  "status": "Held"
}

A held write has no proof record yet. Exactly one is sealed when it resolves — committed, refused or expired.

02The path it took

Rung by rung, from STOP to METERED.

Every write takes the same route. Any rung can refuse; a refusal stops the climb and still writes a record.

0bSTOP Passed Writes are not stopped for this tenant.
1IDENTITY Passed Identity: agent agt_specimen_ap01, the asker.
2WRITE DOOR Passed journal_entry.post is on the declaration's list of write types.
3PRE-GATES Passed Pre-gates G1–G9 passed.
4evaluate() Passed Policy 2027.06.1 evaluated the change. No model.
5GUARDRAIL Passed Blast radius measured; above the A1 limit, so a person must decide.
6AUTONOMY Held Waiting for a named approver who is not the asker. Expiry means refusal.
7ACTNot reached
8PROOFNot reached
9METEREDNot reached

The Right Path in the reference architecture

03How to verify

When it resolves, check it without asking us.

A held write has no record yet. Once it resolves, its record is checked exactly like any other.

L1 Guarded · available

Recompute SHA-256 over the length-prefixed 16 fields (Seal v6).
Compare the digest with F03 prev_digest on the next record.
Check F02 seq goes up by exactly one. Walk the chain.

Tamper-evident to you; not signed.

L2 Attested · available

Receive the eight-member evidence bundle.
Check each Ed25519 signature and the Merkle root.
Check timestamps from two RFC 3161 authorities; run the free offline verifier with no network.

Signed and checkable offline, without us.

How verification works, and what it doesn’t prove

04Mapped clauses

What this record helps evidence — and what it doesn't.

Each row says what the record supports and what stays with you. No product makes you compliant on its own.

What this record helps evidence
Framework	Clause	Helps evidence	Not covered
EU AI Act	Art. 14	A human can decide before the change happens, and the decision is recorded either way.	Training, competence and authority of the overseer.
ISO/IEC 42001	Cl. 5; Annex A · roles	The approver is named in a versioned declaration, separate from the asker.	How your organisation assigns those roles.
NIST AI RMF	GOVERN	Accountability for consequential writes sits with a named person.	Your wider AI risk policies.

Clause references are our reading of each framework. Not legal advice. elan1 does not make you compliant on its own; see the regulation hubs for what each framework asks.

05Other specimens

Read the other outcomes.

Illustrative specimenCommitted

write_id wr_specimen_7c2

An allowed write: a month-end journal entry

A named approver commits a month-end journal entry.

View the full record

Illustrative specimenRefused

write_id wr_specimen_7c3

A refused write: a purchase invoice stopped at rung 3

A GST pre-gate refuses an agent's purchase invoice.

View the full record

Illustrative specimenCommitted

write_id wr_specimen_7Q2M

A small firm's journal entry, read by its CA

An agent posts a GL entry for Kolam Components*, within its autonomy.

View the full record

// SEE IT

See the record being made.

The walkthrough follows one write from intent to proof record, step by step, with a refusal branch.

See a governed action All specimens