aws-samples / aws-samples/sample-autonomous-cloud-coding-agents

(orchestration): Runtime capability elevation via Cedar HITL

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#422 1 comment 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
enhancement orchestration security
Dominant language
TypeScript
Stars
143
Forks
46
Avg merge
3d 9h
Merged PRs (30d)
20

Description

## Component

API or orchestration

## Describe the feature

When a headless agent hits a **policy denial** for a resource outside its current scope (file path, egress domain, tool), surface a structured **capability elevation request** to the operator channel; on approval, Cedar issues a narrowed grant and the agent resumes without restarting the task.

## Use case

Static allowlists stall unattended agents on edge cases. Mature deployments separate **enforce** (hard sandbox) from **decide** (dynamic approval for exceptional access). ABCA Cedar HITL covers tool soft-deny but not general **runtime permission expansion**.

## Proposed solution

1. Extend Cedar actions with `capability_elevation_request` payload: `{ resource, action, rationale }`.
2. On soft-deny, transition to `AWAITING_APPROVAL` with elevation-specific event type.
3. Slack/GitHub approve wires to temporary policy overlay (time-boxed, task-scoped).
4. Deny returns agent to alternate path or `NEEDS_HUMAN`.

## Other information

- Complements **rfc-runtime-security-telemetry-layer** and roadmap **Layered credential derivation**.
- Different from **bgagent nudge** (steering content, not permissions).

## Acknowledgements

- [ ] I may be able to implement this feature
- [ ] This might be a breaking change

## Acceptance criteria

- [ ] Elevation request/approve/deny flow documented in `CEDAR_HITL_GATES.md`.
- [ ] Approved elevation expires automatically; audit in `TaskEvents`.
- [ ] Tests with fixture policies for file-read and egress cases.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with CEDAR_HITL_GATES.md and trace the TaskEvents integration for the existing soft-deny flow. Then locate the fixture-policy tests for file-read and egress cases. Done means documented request/approve/deny behavior, task-scoped elevations that expire automatically, and audit events for each decision.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
aws, typescript
Domain
authorization, backend, security
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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