Kill Switch / Circuit Breaker
How to shut down an agent when something goes wrong, and the automatic version, which stops on its own.
In one sentence
Immediate shutdown mechanism: how to shut down an agent, or the entire operation, when something goes wrong. A circuit breaker is the automatic version, which stops on its own when it detects an anomaly, such as a cost spike or rising error rate.
Before
Anomaly or error detected
What it does
Manual or automatic shutdown
After
Operation suspended before damage occurs
Example
Two shutdowns. A manual switch that the coordination team activates to suspend the batch. And an automatic circuit breaker that stops on its own if the average cost per letter exceeds R$ 1,50 or if the escalation rate doubles.
The automatic one has already triggered once, three hours before anyone realized there was a problem.
The common mistake
Having the button and never testing it. Until someone has activated the kill switch in a drill, you’re only assuming it works. Test it the same day you build it, and again every quarter.
In practice
- A documented command that anyone on call can run.
- Automatic circuit breaker by cost and error rate.
- Drill test every quarter.
How to make it tangible
A command that stops the operation, plus an automatic trigger based on a cost or error threshold.
Connects with
Translated from Portuguese with AI assistance.