/ecos-wait-for-approval

Wait For Approval Command

Wait for an approval response from the Assistant Manager (EAMA) with configurable timeout and polling interval.

Usage

Poll for an approval response from EAMA using the agent-messaging skill:

1. Check for unread messages matching the request ID and type approval_response
2. Poll at the configured interval until response received or timeout
3. Return the approval decision when found

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
--request-id <ID>	Yes	Request ID to wait for (e.g., ECOS-20250202150000-a1b2c3d4)
--timeout <SECONDS>	No	Maximum wait time (default: 120 seconds)
--poll-interval <SECONDS>	No	Check frequency (default: 5 seconds)
--quiet	No	Minimal output, just return decision
--on-approved <CMD>	No	Command to execute if approved
--on-rejected <CMD>	No	Command to execute if rejected

Timeout Recommendations

Operation Type	Recommended Timeout	Reason
hibernate/wake	60 seconds	Low risk, quick decision
spawn	120 seconds	Medium risk, may need review
install	120 seconds	Medium risk
terminate	180 seconds	High risk, careful review
replace	300 seconds	High risk, complex decision

Examples

# Basic wait for approval
/ecos-wait-for-approval --request-id ECOS-20250202150000-a1b2c3d4

# Wait with custom timeout
/ecos-wait-for-approval --request-id ECOS-20250202150000-a1b2c3d4 --timeout 300

# Quiet mode for scripting
/ecos-wait-for-approval --request-id ECOS-20250202150000-a1b2c3d4 --quiet

# With conditional execution
/ecos-wait-for-approval --request-id ECOS-20250202150000-a1b2c3d4 \
  --on-approved "terminate helper-python" \
  --on-rejected "echo 'Termination denied by manager'"

# Fast polling for urgent requests
/ecos-wait-for-approval --request-id ECOS-20250202150000-a1b2c3d4 \
  --timeout 60 --poll-interval 2

Output Format (Default)

=======================================================================
  WAITING FOR APPROVAL
=======================================================================

  Request ID: ECOS-20250202150000-a1b2c3d4
  Operation:  terminate
  Target:     helper-python

  Timeout:    120 seconds
  Polling:    Every 5 seconds

  [........] Waiting for EAMA response...
  [####....] 30s elapsed...
  [######..] 45s elapsed...
  [########] Response received!

=======================================================================
  APPROVAL DECISION: APPROVED
=======================================================================

  Decision:   APPROVED
  Decided at: 2025-02-02 15:02:30 UTC
  Wait time:  47 seconds

  Manager Notes:
  Proceed with termination. Ensure work is backed up first.

  Conditions:
  1. Verify no pending commits
  2. Export agent state before termination

=======================================================================

Output Format (Quiet)

APPROVED

Output Format (Timeout)

=======================================================================
  WAITING FOR APPROVAL - TIMEOUT
=======================================================================

  Request ID: ECOS-20250202150000-a1b2c3d4
  Operation:  terminate
  Target:     helper-python

  Status: TIMEOUT after 120 seconds

  The approval request did not receive a response within the timeout period.

  Options:
  1. Increase timeout: /ecos-wait-for-approval --request-id ECOS-... --timeout 300
  2. Check manually: /ecos-check-approval-status --request-id ECOS-...
  3. Contact manager: /ecos-notify-manager --subject "Approval pending"

=======================================================================

Return Codes

Code	Meaning	Action
0	Approved	Safe to proceed with operation
1	Rejected	Operation denied, do not proceed
2	Timeout	No response, check manually
3	Deferred	Needs more info, see notes
4	Error	Technical error during wait
5	Cancelled	Request was cancelled

Polling Strategy

The command uses intelligent polling:

Time 0s:    Check immediately
Time 5s:    First poll
Time 10s:   Second poll
...
Time N:     Continue until timeout or response

For long timeouts (>300s), polling interval automatically increases:

• 0-60s: Every 5 seconds
• 60-180s: Every 10 seconds
• 180s+: Every 30 seconds

Integration Pattern

Typical workflow combining request and wait:

1. Submit approval request via /ecos-request-approval
2. Wait for response via /ecos-wait-for-approval --request-id <ID>
3. If approved, execute the operation (e.g., /ecos-terminate-agent)
4. If rejected, log the rejection and notify as appropriate

Conditional Execution

When using --on-approved and --on-rejected, the command executes the appropriate action based on the decision:

• On approved: Use the ai-maestro-agents-management skill to execute the approved operation, then notify the manager of completion using the agent-messaging skill
• On rejected: Notify the manager that the operation was blocked using the agent-messaging skill

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
"Invalid request ID"	Malformed ID	Check ID format: ECOS-YYYYMMDDHHMMSS-XXXXXXXX
"Request not found"	Unknown ID	Verify request was submitted
"AI Maestro not responding"	API down	Check AI Maestro service
"Polling error"	Network issue	Retry with increased interval
"Request already processed"	Duplicate wait	Check previous response

Interruption Handling

If wait is interrupted (Ctrl+C):

• Current status is displayed
• Request remains pending
• Can resume with same command

Best Practices

1. Set appropriate timeouts - Don't wait too long for low-risk operations
2. Use quiet mode for scripts - Easier to parse in automation
3. Implement fallback - Have a plan if approval times out
4. Monitor progress - Use default output for interactive sessions
5. Combine with notification - Alert manager if timeout is approaching

Related Commands

• /ecos-request-approval - Submit approval request (prerequisite)
• /ecos-check-approval-status - Check status without waiting
• /ecos-notify-manager - Send follow-up notification