HITL Workflows

Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) is a powerful approach that combines artificial intelligence with human expertise to enhance decision-making and improve task outcomes. This guide shows you how to implement HITL within CrewAI Enterprise.

HITL Approaches in CrewAI

CrewAI offers two approaches for implementing human-in-the-loop workflows:

Approach	Best For	Version
Flow-based (@human_feedback decorator)	Production with Enterprise UI, email-first workflows, full platform features	1.8.0+
Webhook-based	Custom integrations, external systems (Slack, Teams, etc.), legacy setups	All versions

Flow-Based HITL with Enterprise Platform

Note

The @human_feedback decorator requires CrewAI version 1.8.0 or higher.

When using the @human_feedback decorator in your Flows, CrewAI Enterprise provides an email-first HITL system that enables anyone with an email address to respond to review requests:

Email-First Design

Responders receive email notifications and can reply directly—no login required.

Dashboard Review

Review and respond to HITL requests in the Enterprise dashboard when preferred.

Flexible Routing

Route requests to specific emails based on method patterns or pull from flow state.

Auto-Response

Configure automatic fallback responses when no human replies within the timeout.

Key Benefits

• External responders: Anyone with an email can respond, even non-platform users
• Dynamic assignment: Pull assignee email from flow state (e.g., account_owner_email)
• Simple configuration: Email-based routing is easier to set up than user/role management
• Deployment creator fallback: If no routing rule matches, the deployment creator is notified

Tip

For implementation details on the @human_feedback decorator, see the Human Feedback in Flows guide.

Setting Up Webhook-Based HITL Workflows

For custom integrations with external systems like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or your own applications, you can use the webhook-based approach:

1. Configure Your Task

   Set up your task with human input enabled:

   

2. Provide Webhook URL

   When kicking off your crew, include a webhook URL for human input:

   

3. Receive Webhook Notification

   Once the crew completes the task requiring human input, you’ll receive a webhook notification containing:

   • Execution ID
   • Task ID
   • Task output
4. Review Task Output

   The system will pause in the Pending Human Input state. Review the task output carefully.

5. Submit Human Feedback

   Call the resume endpoint of your crew with the following information:

   

   Warning

   Critical: Webhook URLs Must Be Provided Again: You must provide the same webhook URLs (taskWebhookUrl, stepWebhookUrl, crewWebhookUrl) in the resume call that you used in the kickoff call. Webhook configurations are NOT automatically carried over from kickoff - they must be explicitly included in the resume request to continue receiving notifications for task completion, agent steps, and crew completion.

   Example resume call with webhooks:

   curl -X POST {BASE_URL}/resume \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{
       "execution_id": "abcd1234-5678-90ef-ghij-klmnopqrstuv",
       "task_id": "research_task",
       "human_feedback": "Great work! Please add more details.",
       "is_approve": true,
       "taskWebhookUrl": "https://your-server.com/webhooks/task",
       "stepWebhookUrl": "https://your-server.com/webhooks/step",
       "crewWebhookUrl": "https://your-server.com/webhooks/crew"
     }'

   Warning

   Feedback Impact on Task Execution: It’s crucial to exercise care when providing feedback, as the entire feedback content will be incorporated as additional context for further task executions.

   This means:

   • All information in your feedback becomes part of the task’s context.
   • Irrelevant details may negatively influence it.
   • Concise, relevant feedback helps maintain task focus and efficiency.
   • Always review your feedback carefully before submission to ensure it contains only pertinent information that will positively guide the task’s execution.
6. Handle Negative Feedback

   If you provide negative feedback:

   • The crew will retry the task with added context from your feedback.
   • You’ll receive another webhook notification for further review.
   • Repeat steps 4-6 until satisfied.
7. Execution Continuation

   When you submit positive feedback, the execution will proceed to the next steps.

Best Practices

• Be Specific: Provide clear, actionable feedback that directly addresses the task at hand
• Stay Relevant: Only include information that will help improve the task execution
• Be Timely: Respond to HITL prompts promptly to avoid workflow delays
• Review Carefully: Double-check your feedback before submitting to ensure accuracy

Common Use Cases

HITL workflows are particularly valuable for:

• Quality assurance and validation
• Complex decision-making scenarios
• Sensitive or high-stakes operations
• Creative tasks requiring human judgment
• Compliance and regulatory reviews

Learn More

Flow HITL Management

Explore the full Enterprise Flow HITL platform capabilities including email notifications, routing rules, auto-response, and analytics.

Human Feedback in Flows

Implementation guide for the @human_feedback decorator in your Flows.