crewAI/docs/en/enterprise/guides/human-in-the-loop.mdx

---
title: "HITL Workflows"
description: "Learn how to implement Human-In-The-Loop workflows in CrewAI for enhanced decision-making"
icon: "user-check"
mode: "wide"
---

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**.
</Note>

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:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Email-First Design" icon="envelope">
    Responders receive email notifications and can reply directly—no login required.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Dashboard Review" icon="desktop">
    Review and respond to HITL requests in the Enterprise dashboard when preferred.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Flexible Routing" icon="route">
    Route requests to specific emails based on method patterns or pull from flow state.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Auto-Response" icon="clock">
    Configure automatic fallback responses when no human replies within the timeout.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### 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](/en/learn/human-feedback-in-flows) guide.
</Tip>

## 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:

<Steps>
    <Step title="Configure Your Task">
        Set up your task with human input enabled:
        <Frame>
            <img src="/images/enterprise/crew-human-input.png" alt="Crew Human Input" />
        </Frame>
    </Step>

    <Step title="Provide Webhook URL">
        When kicking off your crew, include a webhook URL for human input:
        <Frame>
            <img src="/images/enterprise/crew-webhook-url.png" alt="Crew Webhook URL" />
        </Frame>
    </Step>

    <Step title="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**
    </Step>

    <Step title="Review Task Output">
        The system will pause in the `Pending Human Input` state. Review the task output carefully.
    </Step>

    <Step title="Submit Human Feedback">
        Call the resume endpoint of your crew with the following information:
        <Frame>
            <img src="/images/enterprise/crew-resume-endpoint.png" alt="Crew Resume Endpoint" />
        </Frame>

        <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.
        </Warning>

        Example resume call with webhooks:
        ```bash
        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.
        </Warning>
        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.
    </Step>
    <Step title="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.
    </Step>

    <Step title="Execution Continuation">
        When you submit positive feedback, the execution will proceed to the next steps.
    </Step>
</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

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Flow HITL Management" icon="users-gear" href="/en/enterprise/features/flow-hitl-management">
    Explore the full Enterprise Flow HITL platform capabilities including email notifications, routing rules, auto-response, and analytics.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Human Feedback in Flows" icon="code" href="/en/learn/human-feedback-in-flows">
    Implementation guide for the `@human_feedback` decorator in your Flows.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>