Safety and Guardrails
Safety is a big concern when deploying agentic systems that rely on LLMs. Models generate their outputs based on probability, meaning, occasionally, there can be times when generated responses can be incorrect, inappropriate, or unsafe. When such outputs are fed directly into automated actions, the consequences can be detrimental.
Guardrails are the mechanisms used to constrain agent behavior and reduce these risks. These may include limiting which tools an agent is allowed to use, validating model outputs before execution, or requiring human approval for high-impact actions. Guardrails shift responsibility away from the model and into the surrounding system, where behavior can be more reliably controlled.
Prompt design also plays a role in safety. Clear instructions about boundaries, uncertainty handling, and escalation conditions help reduce the likelihood of problematic outputs. However, prompts alone are insufficient. Robust agentic systems rely on structural safeguards implemented at the orchestration level.
By combining cautious prompt design with workflow-level controls, n8n enables the construction of agentic systems that are both capable and trustworthy. At the end of the day, safety is taken into immense consideration, and is a very important part of connecting LLMs to real-world actions.
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