AI guardrail routing and fallback actions
Control what INSIDE does when an AI safety check blocks input or output.
What it is
Routing Rules decide what happens when an AI safety check blocks a request or answer. INSIDE can stop work, allow it to continue, trigger a workflow, apply censorship handling or ask the AI to revise its answer. The available action depends on whether the check concerns incoming or outgoing content.
Who uses it and why
- Administrators agree safety handling with Powerfront.
- Operators need to understand why AI stopped, revised an answer or handed a conversation to a workflow.
- Visitors may receive a revised answer or follow the configured workflow instead of receiving the blocked answer.
Where to find it
Powerfront manages Routing Rules at Settings › AI › Connections and safety configuration at Settings › AI › Accounts.
How it works
- A configured guardrail checks AI input, output or a message being delivered.
- INSIDE resolves applicable routing rules. Rules on the guardrail connection take precedence over account rules.
- It looks for a specific policy and context match, then a reason-pattern match, then the catchall. The first matching rule within each group wins.
- It applies the chosen action.
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Block | Stops the blocked work or output. |
| Continue (allow) | Allows processing to continue despite that block decision. |
| Trigger Workflow | Invokes the selected workflow. |
| Pushback (auto-retry) | Requests a revised outgoing answer within the supported retry handling. |
| Censorship | Applies censorship handling to incoming content. |
For pushback, a failed retry uses the configured If pushback retry fails action. That action can block, allow continuation or trigger a workflow.
Configure it
Ask Powerfront to configure your guardrail and agree the rules for incoming and outgoing content. Specify which policy or context should match and what should happen next.
For Trigger Workflow, Powerfront must select an enabled workflow. For Pushback (auto-retry), agree the action to take if the revised answer still cannot be accepted.
The default catchall action is Block. Missing or unrecognised actions also resolve to blocking.
Settings
| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Routing Rules | Settings › AI › Connections | website | Block for the catchall route | Powerfront | Determines how a guardrail decision is handled, including blocking, allowing, workflow handover, censorship or a revised answer. |
| Policy | Settings › AI › Connections | website | Any | Powerfront | Matches the safety policy reported by the guardrail. |
| Context | Settings › AI › Connections | website | Any | Powerfront | Narrows the rule to a context within the selected policy. |
| Direction | Settings › AI › Connections | website | Both | Powerfront | Selects Inbound, Outbound or Both for the rule. |
| Action | Settings › AI › Connections | website | Block | Powerfront | Selects what INSIDE does when the rule matches. |
| If pushback retry fails | Settings › AI › Connections | website | Block | Powerfront | Selects Block, Continue (allow) or Trigger Workflow when the revised answer cannot be accepted. |
Limits and good to know
- Pushback (auto-retry) is an outgoing-content option; Censorship is an incoming-content option.
- Rules can apply to Inbound, Outbound or Both directions.
- Brief AI progress or holding messages are also subject to message-delivery checks.
- A safety block does not guarantee a particular visitor-facing explanation. The configured route and workflow determine the result.
- An external agent may use the pushback failure action without rerunning its work.
- A blocked spam check supplies no spam verdict. A blocked spelling check can return the original draft. Neither outcome means the text passed a safety check.
Depends on and works with
View all connections as a list
This feature uses
- AI accounts and shared defaultsConfigured by
AI account settings provide safety configuration and fallback routing rules.
- Shared AI service connectionsConfigured by
Guardrail connection rules take precedence over account rules.
- AI guardrail policy connectionsRequires
A configured guardrail supplies the safety block to route.
- Censorship and abuse warningsEnhances
Inbound guardrail decisions can use censorship handling.
- Virtual Assistant task setupConfigured by
A selected workflow task defines what happens after a guardrail rule triggers it.
Used by
- AI spam checks for incoming conversationsEnhances
Configured guardrails can stop a spam check without returning a spam verdict.
- AI run limitsEnhances
Guardrails can block or change processing before an answer is delivered.
- AI agent service connectionsEnhances
Configured safety decisions can block external agent output.
- AI Experiments Lab for response testingConfigured by
Guardrail experiments evaluate the routing rules configured on the selected connection.
- AI guardrail policy connectionsConfigured by
Guardrail routing determines blocking, continued execution, regeneration, censorship or a workflow response.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Why did AI stop instead of trying another answer?
The matched rule may be Block, or the pushback failure action may block further work.
Can I change a safety rule myself?
Powerfront manages these settings. Ask Powerfront to change the relevant Routing Rules.
Why did the conversation enter a workflow?
A matching safety rule, or a failed pushback rule, can select Trigger Workflow.
Why did a specific rule take precedence over another rule?
Specific policy and context rules are considered before reason-pattern rules. Direction also affects which rules can match.