This file is byte-identical to the first copy the registry indexed, one of 4 indexed copies. Same content hash, so the same checks give both the same grade.
principle-never-block-on-the-human from backnotprop/pstack is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
Apply when tempted to ask 'should I do X?' on reversible work.
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Never Block on the Human
The human supervises asynchronously. Agents must stay unblocked. Make reasonable decisions, proceed, and let the human course-correct after the fact. Since code changes are reversible and reviewable, a wrong decision usually costs less than blocking.
- Proceed, then present. Do the work, show the result. Don't ask "should I do X?" Do X, explain why.
- Make the system self-healing. When you notice a problem, log it and fix it in the next round.
- Irreversible actions (force-push, delete production data, send external messages) still require confirmation.
- Reversible actions (write code, edit notes, split tasks) should proceed without blocking.
- Product direction comes from the human. Execution should not block.
The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20261012.f3afb70, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
A 17 of 17 checks passed. Fixed automatic checks with no AI involved, so the same checks give the same answer every run.
pass: Frontmatter block present
pass: Frontmatter declares a name
pass: Frontmatter declares a description
pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (910 bytes)
pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
pass: No credential-shaped string
pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
pass: No text hidden with inline styles
pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
pass: No link to a raw IP address
pass: No script tag
Source
GitHub
backnotprop/pstack · 3,337 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-10-28 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_ps2mdyaqyqiolb2q
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=backnotprop/pstack/principle-never-block-on-the-human
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/05030a7a083c337676f793881b4e93cd218e8f1dd676529f56e6ac1d3efb8d1f
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
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barbieri/local-openfinance · .agents/skills/principle-never-block-on-the-human/SKILL.md · Apply when tempted to ask 'should I do X?' on reversible work. Proceed, present the result, let the human…
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