> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.teammates.work/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Human in the Loop

> Teammates can ask a human for more information, to clarify ambiguous instructions, to seek approval, or to escalate a problem.

# Human in the Loop: How Teammates Ask for Help in Slack

Teammates are designed to work autonomously—but sometimes, they need a human. When that happens, they reach out in Slack (or other chat platforms) where you're already working. This page explains when and how those check-ins happen, and what you can expect.

## Where You’ll See Requests

When a Teammate needs help, you'll get a message in Slack from the Teammate directly. It will include:

* A clear explanation of what it needs
* The context of the task it's working on
* Action buttons or suggested replies to make it easy to respond
* A link to view the full task or history if needed

These messages respect your notification preferences. If you’ve muted channels or snoozed alerts, the Teammate won’t bypass those settings.

***

## When Teammates Ask for Help

Teammates reach out for help in three main situations:

### 1. Task is Underspecified or Ambiguous

If the task is missing key details or has ambiguous instructions, the Teammate will pause and ask for clarification.

**Examples:**

* “Email the customer” → Which customer?
* “Use the latest copy” → Where’s the copy stored?
* “Follow up on the issue” → Which issue? What should the follow-up say?

In these cases, the Teammate will send you a message like:

> “Hey! I’m trying to email the customer, but the task doesn’t specify who. Can you clarify?”

***

### 2. A Step Requires Human Approval

Some tasks involve actions where human approval is required before proceeding—especially anything customer-facing or high-impact.

**Examples:**

* Publishing a blog post or marketing content
* Sending an email campaign
* Updating CRM records in bulk
* Making an online purchase over

In these cases, the Teammate will say something like:

> “I’ve drafted this email campaign to inactive users. Can you review and approve it before I send?”

***

### 3. Teammate Hits a Blocker

If something’s preventing the Teammate from finishing the task—like a missing permission, API error, or required input—it will reach out instead of failing silently.

**Examples:**

* Missing login credentials
* No access to a required doc or spreadsheet
* System error while trying to complete a step

The Slack message might look like:

> “I tried to update the report in Google Sheets, but it looks like I don’t have access. Can you grant permission or upload the file another way?”

***

## What to Do When You Get a Request

You can respond directly in chat:

* Answer the question directly in chat
* Approve, or reject with feedback
* Tag someone else to help
* Click through to the dashboard for full context

Once you reply, the Teammate will pick up where it left off and continue the task.

***