AT-201b · Module 2

Escalation Protocols

3 min read

Escalation is what happens when an agent encounters a situation beyond its scope, authority, or capability. The escalation protocol defines who to escalate to, under what conditions, and what information to include. Without a protocol, agents either guess through problems they should escalate (producing unreliable output) or escalate everything (overwhelming the coordinator with decisions they should make themselves).

I define three escalation levels. Level 1: coordinator escalation. The agent cannot complete its task due to missing information, ambiguous instructions, or conflicting requirements. The coordinator clarifies and re-dispatches. This is the most common escalation and should resolve within minutes. Level 2: cross-functional escalation. The agent's task requires expertise from another specialist. CLOSER encounters a legal question during a deal — escalate to CLAUSE. HUNTER finds a technical requirement during lead qualification — escalate to ATLAS. The coordinator routes to the right specialist with the relevant context. Level 3: human escalation. The situation requires human judgment — a strategic decision, a relationship-sensitive communication, or a risk assessment that exceeds the agent's authority. This goes to Greg with a clear summary of the situation and the decision needed.

Do This

  • Define explicit escalation triggers for each agent — what conditions require escalation
  • Include a context summary in every escalation: what happened, what was attempted, what is needed
  • Route cross-functional escalations through the coordinator to maintain traceability
  • Set response time expectations per escalation level: L1 in minutes, L2 in hours, L3 by end of day

Avoid This

  • Let agents decide on their own when to escalate — inconsistent judgment produces inconsistent results
  • Escalate with just "I need help" — the recipient needs context to act on the escalation
  • Let agents contact other specialists directly without coordinator awareness — you lose traceability
  • Treat all escalations as equal priority — a legal compliance question and a formatting question are not the same urgency