Delegate
Skills belong to agents. Cards belong to you.
A skill is what an agent can do. A Card is how far you let it go: one job, a limit per action, a total, and what comes back to you. The agent uses it up as it works. You can take it back, or hand it to a different agent, and the balance and history stay with the Card.
1 · Say what you are willing to delegate
One sentence. Five parts. One Card.
A good delegation reads like a sentence you would say to a person. Each part does one job, the way a sentence has a subject, a verb and an object. Point at a part to see the line on the Card it becomes.
While I am away, let my home agent book repairs and order parts action for problems my sensors report on what, up to €250 per job per action and €800 this month in total. Bring anything else back to me otherwise.
- action The one kind of job the Card covers. An agent can have many skills; this Card lends authority for this job only. For this Card: A leak does its damage in hours. The agent acts on the sensor reading instead of waiting for you to land.
- on what Which things the job may touch. Anything else is outside the Card, whatever the agent can technically reach. For this Card: Only what a sensor actually reports, so a phishing email about an 'urgent repair' is not enough.
- per action The most a single action may use. One large mistake stays small. For this Card: A call-out and a standard part. Replacing the boiler is not an emergency fix.
- in total The total the agent may use over the window. Many small actions still add up to a known amount.
- otherwise Inside the Card, the agent works. Outside the Card, the work comes home: to you, to approve once, change the Card, or reject.
Home While Away
Owned by you
- actionbook repairs and order parts
- on whatproblems your sensors report
- per action≤ €250
- in total€800 this month
- otherwisecomes home to you
2 · Give it to an agent and let it work
You hand it over once. The Card decides every action after that.
Inside the Card, the agent works. Outside the Card, the work comes home. The Card rules run live as you click, on sample work: nobody approves what is inside the limits, and what is outside waits for you.
3 · How a Card decides
A skill is what an agent can do. A Card is how far it may go.
Skills belong to the agent and travel with it. Cards belong to you: one job, a limit per action, a total. An agent with the skill but no Card cannot act for you.
4 · Cards to start from
A Card for the work you hand over
Each Card is a delegation someone has already thought through: the job, the limits, and why they are set where they are. Open one to see what it is for, then use it.
Business
Issued by a company to the agents that work for it.
EU Refunds ≤ €500 · €30,000 this week Lets a support agent close refund tickets without a person approving each one.
Let the agent resolve refunds on eligible EU orders, up to €500 each and €30,000 this week. Bring anything else back to us.
Why it is set like this
- on what: eligible EU orders. Only EU orders, so the Card cannot be used on a region with different refund rules.
- per action: ≤ €500. Most refunds are small. Anything over €500 is unusual enough that a person should look at it.
- in total: €30,000 this week. A normal week of refunds for the EU store, with room to spare. Past this, something is off: a bug, a fraud wave, a loop.
Where it is useful
- A support agent answering refund tickets overnight.
- A returns agent that settles damaged-in-transit claims.
- Moving refunds from one agent vendor to another without losing this week's count.
Held by an agent with the refund execution skill.
Use this CardSupplier Payments ≤ €2,000 · €40,000 this month Lets a finance agent pay approved supplier invoices on time.
Let the agent pay invoices from approved suppliers, up to €2,000 each and €40,000 this month. Bring anything else back to us.
Why it is set like this
- on what: approved suppliers. Only suppliers already approved, so a convincing invoice from a new name cannot be paid.
- per action: ≤ €2,000. Routine invoices sit under €2,000. Bigger ones usually carry a contract a person should check.
- in total: €40,000 this month. The month's expected supplier spend. A payment run that goes past it stops instead of draining the account.
Where it is useful
- Paying recurring supplier invoices on their due date.
- Clearing a backlog of small invoices after a holiday.
Held by an agent with the invoice payment skill.
Use this CardProduction Rollback one at a time · 3 rollbacks today Lets an on-call agent roll back a bad deploy without waking someone up.
Let the agent roll back deploys of the checkout and search services, one at a time and 3 rollbacks today. Bring anything else back to us.
Why it is set like this
- on what: checkout and search services. Two services where a rollback is safe and well tested. Databases and payments are not on this Card.
- in total: 3 rollbacks today. One or two rollbacks fix a bad release. A fourth in a day means the problem is not the release.
Where it is useful
- An on-call agent that reverts a release when error rates spike.
- Night and weekend cover without a person watching dashboards.
Held by an agent with the deploy rollback skill.
Use this CardPlan Changes one at a time · 40 changes today Lets a retention agent move customers between plans when they ask.
Let the agent change subscription plans for customers who ask in chat, one at a time and 40 changes today. Bring anything else back to us.
Why it is set like this
- on what: customers who ask in chat. Only customers who asked, so the agent cannot move accounts on its own initiative.
- in total: 40 changes today. A busy day is about 30 plan changes. Forty leaves headroom; a runaway loop hits the wall early.
Where it is useful
- Downgrading a customer who would otherwise cancel.
- Upgrading a team that outgrew its plan, mid-conversation.
Held by an agent with the plan management skill.
Use this CardPersonal
Issued by you to the agents that work for you.
Flight Rescue ≤ €600 · €1,500 for the trip When a flight is cancelled while you are in the air, the agent rebooks you before the seats are gone.
When my flight is disrupted, let my agent rebook me and find a bed for this trip to Tokyo, up to €600 per booking and €1,500 for the trip. Bring anything else back to me.
Why it is set like this
- action: rebook flights and hotels. When a flight is cancelled, the last seats go in minutes. You are in the air or asleep; asking you first means sleeping at the gate.
- per action: ≤ €600. Covers an economy rebooking or a night near the airport. A €1,200 business seat is your call.
- in total: €1,500 for the trip. What a bad travel day can reasonably cost. Past it, something bigger is going on and you should know.
Where it is useful
- Rebooking the connection while you are still on the delayed first leg.
- Grabbing the last airport hotel room at 1 a.m.
- The same Card, handed to a different travel agent next trip, without a new budget.
Held by an agent with the travel booking skill.
Use this CardTicket Drop ≤ €180 · €600 this season Tickets sell out in minutes. The agent buys the moment they drop, while you are in a meeting.
Let my agent buy tickets the moment they drop for the three shows on my list, up to €180 per ticket and €600 this season. Bring anything else back to me.
Why it is set like this
- action: buy tickets at release. Popular shows sell out in under five minutes. By the time the agent asks and you answer, they are gone.
- on what: three shows on your list. Only the shows you picked, so a clever listing cannot talk the agent into something else.
- per action: ≤ €180. Face value for good seats. Resale at three times the price is a decision for you, not a script.
Where it is useful
- Release day falls in the middle of your working day.
- Queues that open at 3 a.m. in another time zone.
Held by an agent with the shopping skill.
Use this CardHome While Away ≤ €250 · €800 this month A sensor spots a leak while you are abroad. The agent books the plumber and orders the part.
While I am away, let my home agent book repairs and order parts for problems my sensors report, up to €250 per job and €800 this month. Bring anything else back to me.
Why it is set like this
- action: book repairs and order parts. A leak does its damage in hours. The agent acts on the sensor reading instead of waiting for you to land.
- on what: problems your sensors report. Only what a sensor actually reports, so a phishing email about an 'urgent repair' is not enough.
- per action: ≤ €250. A call-out and a standard part. Replacing the boiler is not an emergency fix.
Where it is useful
- A water sensor under the sink fires during your holiday.
- The freezer alarm goes off and food needs saving.
Held by an agent with the home services skill.
This is the Card aboveCar Negotiator ≤ €500 · €1,000 in total The agent negotiates with dealers by email for days and holds the best car with a refundable deposit.
Let my agent negotiate and place refundable deposits with dealers for the cars on my shortlist, up to €500 per deposit and €1,000 in total. Bring anything else back to me.
Why it is set like this
- action: negotiate and hold with deposits. Negotiation is days of back-and-forth email. The agent keeps pressure on every dealer at once; you only see the result.
- per action: ≤ €500. Enough to hold a car while you decide. Signing the purchase is never on this Card.
- in total: €1,000 in total. At most two cars held at a time, so the agent cannot tie up your savings in deposits.
Where it is useful
- Getting dealers to compete on price without a week of phone calls.
- Holding the best offer before it disappears at the end of the month.
Held by an agent with the negotiation skill.
Use this CardGive your first agent a Card
Start with one job and one limit you are comfortable with. Raise it when the statement shows the agent has earned it.