Autonomy Levels Matrix
By IT-Journey Team
Quick reference for the five-level autonomy spectrum (L0–L4) — task classification criteria, appropriate use cases, and guardrail requirements for each level.
Estimated reading time: 1 minutes
Table of Contents
Autonomy Levels Matrix
The Five Levels
| Level | Name | Agent Acts? | Human Reviews? | Human Approves? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L0 | Manual | ❌ | N/A | N/A |
| L1 | Assisted | Suggests only | ✅ Every action | ✅ Every action |
| L2 | Supervised | ✅ Yes | ✅ Every output | ✅ Before publish |
| L3 | Monitored | ✅ Yes | Exceptions only | ❌ Not required |
| L4 | Autonomous | ✅ Yes | Periodic audits | ❌ Not required |
Task Classification Criteria
When classifying a task, answer three questions:
| Question | Low Score → Higher Level OK | High Score → Lower Level Required |
|---|---|---|
| Reversibility | Easily undoable (delete a comment) | Hard to undo (deploy to prod) |
| Blast Radius | Affects 1 file in 1 PR | Affects security config or user data |
| Predictability | Same task done correctly 50+ times | Novel task or unstable codebase |
Level Guidance by Task Type
| Task Type | Suggested Level |
|---|---|
| Fix typo in docs | L3 |
| Add unit tests for existing function | L2–L3 |
| Implement new API endpoint | L2 |
| Refactor authentication module | L1–L2 |
| Modify CODEOWNERS / security config | L1 |
| Create/delete repository | L1 |
| Infrastructure changes | L1 |
Guardrail Requirements by Level
| Level | Required Guardrails |
|---|---|
| L1 | N/A (human approves every action) |
| L2 | CODEOWNERS on sensitive paths, PR review required |
| L3 | Environment approval gate for deployments, audit logging |
| L4 | All of L3 + automated anomaly detection + kill switch |
Related Quest
Q18: Autonomy Levels Matrix — Full implementation with _data/autonomy-matrix.yml schema.
Part of: [[GH-600 Agentic AI Quick-Reference Notes]] · Related quest: [[The Autonomy Scales: Mapping Agent Autonomy Levels]] · Hub: [[The Agentic Codex: GH-600 Study Hub]]