Exceptions, tests and decisions

Exceptions: allow one exact action#

When a rule blocks or asks about something you want to let through, you don't have to loosen the rule. Warden offers an exception for that exact action:

An exception is tied to the exact action (for a file write, its content too) and to the rule that fired. The rule still applies to everything else, and if a second rule also matches, the action is still stopped. Company rules can't be waived on Warden Team.

Every exception is listed under Policies → Exceptions, where you can revoke it.

Learned from your approvals#

If you keep approving the same kind of action, Warden notices. After at least five approvals across at least two chats with no refusals, it suggests a narrow exception for that command, for chats you are in only (never for automated runs). You see it on the test bench before it applies.

Warden never suggests one for the basics, secrets, network, privilege escalation, destructive commands, piping to a shell, unverifiable commands, bulk deletion, the git safety rules (force push, protected branches, history, identity, CI), or company rules.

Policy tests#

Policies → Tests is a test bench for your rules. Try any action against the live rules, without running it:

• Kinds: a command, a file read, a file write, a URL fetch, or a raw tool call.
• Mode: Person present or Automated run, since a rule can treat them differently.
• Result: allow, ask, held or block, with the rule behind it. If an exception would apply, the result says so.

Tests are dry runs: nothing is executed, and nothing is added to Decisions.

Pin a result to keep it as a test. Pinned tests re-run every time your rules change, from any screen, and Warden tells you as soon as a result changes. If the change was intended, Accept the new outcome. The Tests button shows how many are failing.

Decisions#

Each project's Decisions tab is a live feed of every verdict the agent received:

• Filters: All, Blocked, Asked, Allowed, Automated.
• Each row shows the action, the verdict, the rule behind it and its reason, with a proof of decision you can verify independently.
• Pin as policy test turns a real verdict into a test in one click.
• Rule changes appear on the same timeline, so you can see what changed before a verdict did.

In the chat#

When a rule fires, the chat shows the verdict on the tool call, the rule, the reason, and what to do instead. Asks wait for Allow once or Deny, with the exception choices above. Mission Control's Needs you collects every ask and held action across all your chats and runs.