Making agent approvals easier to live with

Description and use

Enhancing Doberman approval workflow using local Windows Hello, remote ntfy notifications, and short‑term approval memory to keep guardrails enabled with minimal interruption.

Problem

Frequent approval prompts from coding agents interrupt workflow, causing friction and discouraging guardrail usage.

Outcome

By combining local Windows Hello, remote ntfy approvals, and short‑term approval memory, developers can keep Doberman guardrails enabled with minimal interruption, while still having a clear recovery path for tainted sessions.

Workflow

• Enable Windows Hello for supported two‑factor challenges on the laptop.
• Configure ntfy to send approval notifications to the phone for remote actions.
• Set preference order so Hello is checked before ntfy when both are available.
• Use the "doberman taint clear" command to recover from sticky taint without restarting the agent.
• Run "doberman tune" to review AUTH reasons and approval history for fine‑tuning.
• Measure time spent on approvals and recovery to evaluate impact.

Evidence

Windows Hello can supply the proof for a supported two‑factor action challenge. Once the method is available and enabled, the device verification flow can replace entering a TOTP code.

Source

When you're away from the laptop, ntfy can bring the pending action to your phone with Approve and Deny buttons.

Source

For eligible repeats, approval memory remembers the exact action for five minutes after a qualifying proof.

Source