You Think You're in Control?

You think you’re in control of your AI agents. You wrote a great prompt, gave it clear instructions, and hit run. That’s not control. That’s hope.

Writing a prompt is like writing a job description. It tells someone what to do, but it doesn’t stop them from doing what they shouldn’t. An agent harness does. Think of it like bowling bumpers: you still aim, you still throw, but the bumpers keep the ball out of the gutter without you watching every frame.

Three things a harness does that a prompt can’t:

• Before it runs: you define what it CAN’T do. Not just instructions, but boundaries.
• While it runs: you catch violations in real time, not after the damage is done.
• After it runs: automated checks catch what slipped through.

Most people give instructions. Few people set boundaries. That’s the difference between hoping your agent behaves and knowing it can’t misbehave. It’s the difference between vibe coding and agentic engineering.

Stay tuned for concrete steps on building an agent harness. Do you control your agents, or just instruct them?