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🔐 What is Human-in-the-Loop?

Human in the Loop is your safety net when using AI Tools. It puts YOU in control by asking for your permission before your AI can use any Tool, like searching the web, generating images, or running code.

Think of it as a "Are you sure?" button that protects you from unexpected AI actions.

🛡️ Why Do I Need This?​

Here's why Human in the Loop keeps you safe:

  • 🚫 Stop Risky Actions: Prevent your AI from doing something you didn't expect
  • 👀 See What's Happening: Know exactly what Tools your AI wants to use and how
  • 🎯 Stay In Control: You decide what happens, not the AI
  • 📊 Review Everything: See all the data your AI wants to send to Tools

🛑 Safety Tip: Tools can search the internet, modify files, or send data to external services. Always review what your AI is trying to do!

🎮 How Does It Work?​

When your AI wants to use a Tool, here's what happens:

  1. 🤖 AI Requests: Your AI says "I want to use this Tool"
  2. ⏸️ Pause: The AI stops and waits for you
  3. 📋 You Review: A popup shows you exactly what the AI wants to do
  4. ✅❌ You Decide: Click Allow, Allow Always, or Decline
  5. 🚀 Action: The AI either uses the Tool or moves on

It's like having a co-pilot who asks before touching any buttons!

⚙️ How to Enable Human-in-the-Loop​

Only administrators can turn this feature on for everyone:

🔧 Admin Setup​

  1. Go to Admin Panel ➡️ Settings ➡️ General
  2. Find "Global Tool Approval"
  3. Toggle it ON ✅
  4. Click Save

That's it! Now all users will see approval prompts when AI tries to use Tools.

💡 Tip: This setting affects your entire Open WebUI instance: all users and all chats will require approval.

🎯 Using the Approval Popup​

When your AI wants to use a Tool, you'll see a popup with all the details:

📱 What You'll See​

  • 🔧 Tool Name: Which Tool your AI wants to use (like "Web Search" or "Image Generator")
  • 📄 Parameters: Exactly what data the AI wants to send to the Tool
  • ⚠️ Review Reminder: A note to check everything carefully

🎲 Your Options​

You get three choices:

  • 🟢 Allow Once: Let the AI use this Tool right now (just this time)
  • 🟡 Allow Always: Use this Tool now AND automatically approve all future Tools in this chat
  • 🔴 Decline: Stop the AI from using this Tool

✨ Smart Features​

  • 🔄 Multiple Tools: If your AI wants to use several Tools at once, you'll see them all
  • 📱 One Tab Only: Only one browser tab shows the popup (prevents confusion)
  • 🔔 Status Updates: Get notifications when Tools start running or get blocked

🤖 Auto-Approval for Trusted Chats​

Found a chat you completely trust? You can skip approvals for that specific conversation:

🟡 How to Enable Auto-Approval​

  1. When you see an approval popup, click "Allow Always"
  2. ✅ This approves the current Tools AND enables auto-approval for this chat
  3. 🎉 Future Tools in this chat will run automatically

🔄 How to Disable Auto-Approval​

You can turn off auto-approval anytime:

  • 🟢 Find the Badge: Look for the green "Auto Tool Approval" badge with LED light in your chat bar
  • ❌ Click the X: Click the X on the badge to disable auto-approval for this chat
  • 🔴 Manual Mode: You'll now see approval popups again for new Tools

Auto-approval also automatically resets when:

  • 🔄 The server restarts (for security)
  • 🗑️ You delete the chat
  • 💡 You start a new chat (each chat has its own setting)

💡 Tip: Use auto-approval only for chats where you completely trust what the AI is doing.

🚨 What to Watch Out For​

🔍 Review These Carefully​

  • 🌐 Web Requests: Tools that search or fetch data from the internet
  • 📁 File Operations: Tools that read, write, or modify files
  • 🖼️ Image Generation: Tools that create or process images
  • 💾 Code Execution: Tools that run scripts or commands

🛑 Red Flags​

Be extra careful if you see:

  • 🔑 Personal Information: Your passwords, API keys, or sensitive data in parameters
  • 🌍 Unknown Websites: URLs you don't recognize
  • 📂 System Paths: File paths that look like system or configuration files
  • 🚀 Suspicious Commands: Code that looks like it could harm your system

🚨 When in Doubt, Decline: It's always safer to say no and try again with a different approach.

🔧 Troubleshooting​

🤔 Approval Popup Not Showing?​

  • ✅ Check that an admin enabled "Global Tool Approval" in settings
  • 🔄 Refresh your browser page
  • 🌐 Make sure you're viewing the chat where the AI is trying to use Tools

🔄 Auto-Approval Not Working?​

  • 📍 Auto-approval only works for the specific chat where you enabled it
  • 🔗 Check that your browser connection is stable
  • 🔄 Try refreshing the page to reset the connection

📱 Multiple Browser Tabs Acting Weird?​

  • 👁️ Only keep one tab open per chat for the best experience
  • 🔄 Close extra tabs and refresh the remaining one
  • 🎯 The system prevents conflicts, but one tab works best

🧠 Summary​

Human-in-the-Loop gives you complete control over your AI's Tool usage:

  • 🛡️ Safety First: Review every Tool before it runs
  • 🎯 You're in Control: Approve, decline, or auto-approve as you see fit
  • 📊 Full Transparency: See exactly what your AI wants to do
  • ⚙️ Easy Setup: Admins just toggle one setting

Now you can use AI Tools with confidence, knowing you're always in the driver's seat! 🚗✨

💡 Pro Tip: Start with manual approval for all Tools, then gradually enable auto-approval for chats you trust completely.