Understanding Autonomy Levels

A practical spectrum of how much discretion your Sovereign has — set via Soul, approvals, and tools.

Updated July 20, 20262 min read

Centurion does not ship a labeled “Autonomy Level” slider. In practice you choose a spectrum by combining:

  • Language in your Soul Document
  • Approval posture (manual confirm for dangerous or high-impact actions)
  • Which tools, mailboxes, and messaging channels you enable

Use the table below as a shared vocabulary with family or IT — not as a fake UI setting.

The four levels

LevelSoul postureOversightIn practice
GuidedStrict “ask before acting”Approvals on; narrow toolsFollows instructions; pauses for consequential steps
AssistedClear goals + confirm high-impactApprovals onPlans and drafts; you approve sends and changes — use Propose first on Remote
DelegatedTrusted routines within boundsSelective approvalsRuns recurring workflows; escalates exceptions
OpenBroad discretionHigh riskOnly after proven reliability — not a day-one default

Start Guided, then move to Assisted once you trust drafts and confirmation habits. Stay there for weeks of reliable behaviour before Delegated routines. Treat Open as rare and deliberate.

How to move up safely:

  1. Tighten Soul confirmation and refusal clauses first — see Soul Document best practices.
  2. Keep approvals on while you widen goals.
  3. Add tools and channels last (mail, messaging gateway), not first.
  4. If something oversteps, Reset & Refine before expanding again.

For IT and leadership

Conservative rollout (owner first, no public gateway until ready) matches Guided → Assisted. Share the Security brief FAQ and Privacy & Trust when stakeholders ask how control works.

Tip

Write the level you want into Soul in plain language (“Always ask before…”) so the model cannot invent a looser posture.

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