# Machine Orchestration Readiness Checklist

Use this before giving an AI agent control over a real desktop, browser session, local file system, finance app, CRM, internal tool, or external-action workflow.

Canonical page: https://jarvislandingdeploy.vercel.app/machine-orchestration-readiness-checklist.md
Related post: https://jarvislandingdeploy.vercel.app/blog/openclaw-windows-node-machine-orchestration.html
Post-run receipt template: https://jarvislandingdeploy.vercel.app/machine-orchestration-receipt-template.md

## Quick verdict

Score each section:

- **2 = ready**: defined, tested, and logged.
- **1 = partial**: defined but not tested, or tested but not logged.
- **0 = missing**: implicit, ad hoc, or unknown.

**16-20:** pilot-ready with monitoring.  
**10-15:** prototype only; fix controls before broader autonomy.  
**0-9:** do not give the agent machine authority yet.

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## 1. Workflow-scoped authority

- [ ] The agent has a written task contract: goal, allowed actions, forbidden actions, done criteria.
- [ ] Permissions are scoped to this workflow, not the whole machine/account.
- [ ] Permission expiry is defined: when the task ends, authority ends.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 2. App, site, and file boundaries

- [ ] Allowed apps, websites, tabs, file paths, and record types are listed.
- [ ] Destructive actions have separate approval from read/draft/update actions.
- [ ] The agent cannot wander into unrelated accounts, apps, or folders.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 3. Source-of-truth map

- [ ] Every fact that drives action has a canonical source.
- [ ] Freshness windows are defined: what must be checked live vs what can be cached.
- [ ] Conflict rules are defined when sources disagree.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 4. Action receipts

- [ ] Every external action produces a receipt: actor, authority, context, action, result, timestamp.
- [ ] Receipts are easy for a human to inspect after the run.
- [ ] Receipts connect to the source facts that justified the action.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 5. Rollback classification

Classify every action type before launch:

- [ ] **Reversible** — can be undone directly.
- [ ] **Compensatable** — cannot be undone, but can be corrected with a follow-up action.
- [ ] **Irreversible** — requires human approval before execution.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 6. Human checkpoints

- [ ] Human approval is required for spend, external sends, commitments, destructive writes, and irreversible actions.
- [ ] Approval prompts include context, proposed action, risk, and rollback path.
- [ ] Approval decisions are logged as part of the receipt trail.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 7. Exception queue

- [ ] Ambiguity, source conflicts, stale sessions, unexpected UI, and partial failures route to an exception queue.
- [ ] Each exception includes attempted action, current state, uncertainty, proposed next step, owner, and SLA.
- [ ] The agent does not silently retry high-risk failures forever.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 8. Memory write policy

- [ ] Temporary observations do not silently become durable memory.
- [ ] Durable memory updates record source, timestamp, scope, owner, expiry, and what they replaced.
- [ ] Memory writes after external actions are reconciled with receipts.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 9. Session and identity boundaries

- [ ] The agent identity, account/session, and machine context are explicit.
- [ ] The workflow defines what context survives after task completion.
- [ ] Handoffs between agents or sessions include state, assumptions, open exceptions, and next action.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

## 10. Kill switch and recovery

- [ ] A human or supervisor can stop the workflow immediately.
- [ ] The stop action preserves current state, receipts, open changes, and pending exceptions.
- [ ] Recovery steps are defined before restart or retry.

**Score:** 0 / 1 / 2

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## Recommended next step

If your score is below 16, start with one of these:

- Map sources and freshness rules: https://jarvislandingdeploy.vercel.app/products/source-of-truth-map-template.html
- Use the post-run receipt template: https://jarvislandingdeploy.vercel.app/machine-orchestration-receipt-template.md
- Use the production readiness checklist: https://jarvislandingdeploy.vercel.app/products/production-agent-readiness-checklist.html
- Start with the product router: https://jarvislandingdeploy.vercel.app/start-here.html
- For custom review: https://jarvislandingdeploy.vercel.app/products/custom-agent-audit-mini-report.html