Docs · Finance
Shadow mode
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Finance. Written for the finance team that signs the policy and the weekly report.
Shadow mode is how a policy is tried before it is trusted. The policy runs on every request; a decision that would have been step_up or deny comes back as observe, the mandate is issued as on allow, and the record says what an enforcing policy would have done.
Turning it on
Set shadow: true on the policy in the console editor (the editor notes that observe decisions are sealed and reported, never enforced) or in the document sent to POST /v0/policies. Signing it produces a new version; taking it off produces another. Any policy can be in shadow mode; a company that already runs an enforcing policy can shadow a stricter draft next to it.
What `observe` means
| Field | Value on an observed request |
|---|---|
decision.result | observe |
decision.shadow_result | { result: "step_up" | "deny", reasons: [...] }: what the policy would have done |
decision.reasons | []; the reasons live in shadow_result |
approval_required | false; nothing enters the approval queue |
| Budget | Reserved exactly as on allow |
| Mandate and credential | Issued as on allow; the money moves if the agent pays |
| Record | Sealed like an allow; counted in the weekly report as observed |
| Risk assessment | Made and signed as always; action reflects the enforcing outcome (manual_review or blocked) so the merchant’s signal is honest |
Two rules. Each step is decided on its own: an observe on one request carries no authorization into the next. And an observed decision goes to the weekly report, not to the approval queue: nobody is asked to sign something that was not enforced.
What the agent sees
request_payment(…)
→ {
decision: { result: "observe", reasons: [], shadow_result: { result: "step_up", reasons: ["approval_required"] } },
mandate: { id: "mnd_01M2T7…", amount: "180.00", … },
risk: { action: "manual_review", score: 0 },
record_id: "rec_01M2T7…",
summary: "Observed (shadow mode): allowed; an enforcing policy would have asked a person (approval_required)."
}The skill tells the agent to say so to the person in one line and carry on. Hosts with MCP Apps show the decision card with an “Observed (shadow mode)” badge.
Two uses
- Before enforcing. A team that has never had a policy shadows one for four weeks and reads the report: how many requests would have stepped up, how many would have been denied and why. That report is the reason to switch it on.
- Before tightening. A team with a live policy shadows the next version (a lower cap, a new approval threshold) and sees what it would have stopped before anybody is interrupted.
What is reported
The weekly report counts observed decisions and lists their shadow_result reasons next to the exceptions. GET /v0/records?kind=payment and the console’s payments list filter on observe. The compliance export includes them like any record.