# Steering and queued messages — agent access

Product map: [Steering and queued messages](../feature-map/steering.md).

Review date: 2026-10-12. Source commit: `58e16dbddfc9c8d0cf60867f9d9847f0feda055b`.
Native REST transport reconciled in this change; see the
[shared transport contract](README.md#native-rest-transport).

This is a source-reviewed baseline of representative operations and known gaps.
Each capability needs operation-level review before its entire scope can be
qualified. No live agent execution is claimed. Follow the [map contract](../README.md)
for format, permission checks, evidence and maintenance.

## `queue`

Review: `baseline`.

API: `present` — representative operation IDs:

- `GET /api/issues/{id}/queued-comments`.

Agent access: `partial` — REST / native call_api for visible queue; server-owned queue
admission.

Policy: Queue inspection follows task visibility; queued user-message mutation and run
cancellation require a board actor/user.

Evidence: `source-only` — [implementation](../../server/src/routes/issues.ts#L16166) at
the reviewed commit above.

Verification: `not-run` — exercise a listed permitted operation with actual agent
credentials/run context; inspect its result and applicable persistence/attribution.
Assert the relevant denied actor, owner, company or mode from Policy. Review the
remaining operations before qualifying the whole capability.

Gaps: Agents can read eligible queue state; sending/steering the person's queued
messages requires separate authority.

## `edit-order-discard`

Review: `baseline`.

API: `present` — representative operation IDs:

- `PATCH /api/issues/{id}/queued-comments/{commentId}`.
- `PUT /api/issues/{id}/queued-comments/order`.
- `DELETE /api/issues/{id}/queued-comments/{commentId}`.

Agent access: `restricted` — Board-user queue mutation API.

Policy: Queue inspection follows task visibility; queued user-message mutation and run
cancellation require a board actor/user.

Evidence: `source-only` — [implementation](../../server/src/routes/issues.ts#L16166) at
the reviewed commit above.

Verification: `not-run` — assert the documented agent denial with an owned test fixture;
verify any listed agent request/result path separately. A delegated operation needs its
own policy and access review.

Gaps: No agent user-message edit/reorder/discard path; explicit delegated-user policy
needed before granting one.

## `steer`

Review: `baseline`.

API: `present` — representative operation IDs:

- `POST /api/issues/{id}/queued-comments/{commentId}/steer`.

Agent access: `restricted` — Board-user execution control API; agent receives eligible
new run/wake.

Policy: Queue inspection follows task visibility; queued user-message mutation and run
cancellation require a board actor/user.

Evidence: `source-only` — [implementation](../../server/src/routes/issues.ts#L16166) at
the reviewed commit above.

Verification: `not-run` — assert the documented agent denial with an owned test fixture;
verify any listed agent request/result path separately. A delegated operation needs its
own policy and access review.

Gaps: Steering requires a board user at the HTTP route. Native `call_api`
preserves this denial and cannot impersonate the steering user.

## `interrupt`

Review: `baseline`.

API: `present` — representative operation IDs:

- `POST /api/issues/{id}/queued-comments/interrupt`.
- `POST /api/heartbeat-runs/{runId}/cancel`.

Agent access: `restricted` — Board-user interruption/cancel API.

Policy: Queue inspection follows task visibility; queued user-message mutation and run
cancellation require a board actor/user.

Evidence: `source-only` — [implementation](../../server/src/routes/issues.ts#L16166) at
the reviewed commit above.

Verification: `not-run` — assert the documented agent denial with an owned test fixture;
verify any listed agent request/result path separately. A delegated operation needs its
own policy and access review.

Gaps: Explicit operator action is distinct from an agent yielding/blocking its own turn.

## `stop-and-pause`

Review: `baseline`.

API: `present` — representative operation IDs:

- `POST /api/issues/{id}/tree-holds`.
- `POST /api/agents/{id}/pause`.

Agent access: `restricted` — Board control APIs; agent paperclip_finish/paperclip_block
for its own turn.

Policy: Queue inspection follows task visibility; queued user-message mutation and run
cancellation require a board actor/user.

Evidence: `source-only` — [implementation](../../server/src/routes/issues.ts#L16166) at
the reviewed commit above.

Verification: `not-run` — assert the documented agent denial with an owned test fixture;
verify any listed agent request/result path separately. A delegated operation needs its
own policy and access review.

Gaps: Task-tree/agent pause and confirmed stop need policy-preserving authority; no
generic agent management path.

## `drafts`

Review: `baseline`.

API: `not-applicable` — No shared server draft resource for this presentation state;
cross-client drafts would be a deliberate new capability.

Agent access: `not-applicable` — Browser-local task composer draft / submission state.

Policy: Queue inspection follows task visibility; queued user-message mutation and run
cancellation require a board actor/user.

Evidence: `source-only` — [implementation](../../server/src/routes/issues.ts#L16166) at
the reviewed commit above.

Verification: `not-run` — use the product recipe for the local/developer surface. Verify
listed shared-resource reads separately; local presentation alone is not agent API
evidence.

Gaps: No shared server draft resource for this presentation state; cross-client drafts
would be a deliberate new capability.

## `approval-queue`

Review: `baseline`.

API: `present` — representative operation IDs:

- `GET /api/issues/{id}/interactions`.
- `GET /api/issues/{id}/queued-comments`.

Agent access: `partial` — Agent can inspect authorized persisted interactions; server
continuation/queue delivery.

Policy: Queue inspection follows task visibility; queued user-message mutation and run
cancellation require a board actor/user.

Evidence: `source-only` — [implementation](../../server/src/routes/issues.ts#L16166) at
the reviewed commit above.

Verification: `not-run` — exercise a listed permitted operation with actual agent
credentials/run context; inspect its result and applicable persistence/attribution.
Assert the relevant denied actor, owner, company or mode from Policy. Review the
remaining operations before qualifying the whole capability.

Gaps: Resolving as a human and controlling queued wakes is separate from seeing the
approval response.