---
title: "Dry-run and approvals"
description: "See what a rule would block before it is enforced, and have an independent agent approve an action with a summary and diff."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.overlane.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Dry-run and approvals

## Dry-run

Set `"dryRun": true` on a rule and it reports what it would block without blocking. The decision comes back allowed, with `wouldBlock` set and the rule named, and the match is recorded in the audit trail.

To ask the server for the combined decision without recording anything:

```sh
overlane guard dry-run --tool git.push --branch main --task held
overlane guard dry-run --tool egress.fetch --host registry.example.com
```

## Approve before write

A rule with the effect `require_approval` stops the action and opens one approval that holds a plain-language summary and the diff. Nothing runs until it is answered, and an **independent second agent** can answer it: a different principal from the one that asked, that lists the evidence it checked and why. A person can always approve, override or undo, but is never required.

```sh
overlane guard approvals list --status pending
overlane guard approvals answer apr_1 --decision approve --evidence "diff reviewed" --reason "matches the task"
```

The approval records who approved, whether that was an agent or a person, the evidence and the reason. The asking agent then repeats the action with the approval ID. An approval covers exactly the action it describes; a different action, even a small change to the diff, needs a new approval. An answered approval does not change, and an agent can never approve its own request.

## Autonomy

The team's autonomy setting decides who must approve. In **autonomous** mode agents act and nothing waits on anyone; **supervised** asks for an approval that any other principal gives; **manual** asks for a person's. Free, Pro and Team start autonomous; Business and Enterprise start supervised with a one-step switch. Read and change it with `overlane autonomy show` and `overlane autonomy set`; the full model is in [Autonomy](/autonomy/). Payment methods, plan purchases and accepting legal terms are human only in every mode.

```sh
overlane guard check --tool git.push --branch main --task held --approval apr_1
```

## Exit codes

A refusal, including an action waiting for approval, exits with 6 (blocked by policy). The error carries the code, the rule ID and the next command.

Source: https://docs.overlane.app/review/dry-run-and-approvals/index.mdx