--- title: "What is an AI agent charter | Seven fields | Len P. van der Hof" description: "An AI agent charter is a written contract for one worker: purpose, inputs, outputs, authority ceiling, success criteria, review, escalation. Empty fields mean a demo that can spend money." image: "https://lenvanderhof.com/media/generated/blog-hero-agent-charter-v1.b7bfa0d97098.wide.webp" --- [AI Systems](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/category/ai-systems/) Research guide # What is an AI agent charter? Seven fields or it is a demo If you cannot fill the seven fields, do not hand it a key. Len P. van der HofPublished 16 September 20263 min read Seven fields. The key waits. Direct answer An AI agent charter is the written contract that makes an agent accountable. Seven fields, the same ones used for human operators in CHORUS: purpose, inputs, outputs, authority ceiling, success criteria, review requirement, and escalation. An AI agent takes a goal, uses tools, and continues across steps. Without the charter you cannot say what it may not do, which means you cannot hand it a credential. The refuse-list lives next door in override doctrine: money, identity, irreversibility. This page owns the seven fields. What is an AI agent owns the worker. Using AI agents effectively owns the operating loop. ## Key takeaways - Seven fields: purpose, inputs, outputs, ceiling, success, review, escalation. - Empty fields = demo. Demos do not get production credentials. - The refuse-list is override doctrine, not a vibe in the prompt. - This page is the template. The definition and the operating note stay next door. People search “AI agent charter” after someone said the word in a meeting and nobody wrote the fields down. A prompt is not a charter. A Slack thread is not a charter. A vendor card titled “agent” is not a charter. **What is an AI agent charter?** A written contract for one worker. Seven fields. If you cannot fill them, you do not have an agent you can run. You have a demo that can spend money. [What is an AI agent?](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/what-is-an-ai-agent/) owns the worker. This page owns the seven fields. ## The seven fields Same list I use for human operators in [CHORUS](https://lenvanderhof.com/frameworks/chorus/). Agents do not get a softer contract. 1. **Purpose.** One job, in a sentence a reviewer can fail. “Be helpful” is not a purpose. 2. **Inputs.** Named sources, dated if they move. Today’s sheet, not “the customer data.” 3. **Outputs.** What leaves the worker: a draft, a skip with a reason, a patch. Not “value.” 4. **Authority ceiling.** Draft only, or send. No new discount. No legal threat. Write the no. 5. **Success criteria.** Observable. “Every draft names the invoice number and the true amount. A skip is valid if the row is disputed.” 6. **Review requirement.** A named person who can fail the work. “The team” is not a person. 7. **Escalation.** Where a dispute, a tool error, or a spend near the ceiling goes, before a retry loop starts. Filled, for a refund-triage worker: - **Purpose.** Clear the refund queue to a decision, without granting one. - **Inputs.** Today’s ticket export. The refund policy version in force this month. - **Outputs.** Per ticket: approve-recommended, decline-recommended, or escalate, each with the policy clause cited. - **Authority ceiling.** Recommend only. No refund issued. No policy exception. No goodwill credit. - **Success criteria.** Every recommendation cites a clause that exists in this month’s policy. - **Review.** Support lead fails any recommendation citing a clause that is not there. - **Escalation.** Anything over the goodwill threshold, or any ticket naming a chargeback, goes to the lead unrecommended. That is a charter. A system prompt that says “you are a helpful refund agent” is not. ## What sits beside the charter **Override doctrine** is the refuse-list even when the charter is silent. Start with three categories: money, identity, irreversibility. [Override doctrine](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/override-doctrine/) owns that list. Do not hide it in the purpose line. **Standing context versus run input.** The charter, the refuse-list, and house facts change on purpose, with a diff. Today’s rows are run input. Mixing them is how stale data survives. [Using AI agents effectively](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/using-ai-agents-effectively/) is that operating loop. ## What this page is not It is not the three tests for chatbot versus agent. It is not a SENSE 90-day install. It is not a runtime. If the seven fields are empty, do not argue about models. Fill the card, or keep the key. ## Terminology - [AI agent](https://lenvanderhof.com/glossary/ai-agent/) - [Override doctrine](https://lenvanderhof.com/glossary/override-doctrine/) ## Sources 1. [What is an AI agent?](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/what-is-an-ai-agent/) 2. [Using AI agents effectively](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/using-ai-agents-effectively/) 3. [Override doctrine](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/override-doctrine/) 4. [AI agent (glossary)](https://lenvanderhof.com/glossary/ai-agent/) 5. [CHORUS](https://lenvanderhof.com/frameworks/chorus/) 6. [AI Agents for Startup Strategy](https://lenvanderhof.com/ai-agents-for-startup-strategy/) 7. [The Multi-Agent Organization](https://lenvanderhof.com/books/multi-agent-organization/) ## Further reading - [What is an AI agent?](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/what-is-an-ai-agent/) - [Using AI agents effectively](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/using-ai-agents-effectively/) - [Override doctrine](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/blog/override-doctrine/) About the author ## [Len P. van der Hof](https://lenvanderhof.com/en/authors/len-p-van-der-hof/) Entrepreneur, AI Innovator and Venture Builder Len P. van der Hof builds practical AI systems, digital ventures and evidence-informed tools for founders. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://lenvanderhof.com/#person", "name": "Len P. van der Hof", "alternateName": [ "Len van der Hof", "L.P. van der Hof", "Leendert Pieter van der Hof" ], "honorificSuffix": "MSc", "url": "https://lenvanderhof.com/", "image": [ "https://lenvanderhof.com/photos/len-portrait-1.jpg", 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