Tool proposals
When Copilot suggests an action, you approve or reject it.
Last updated: 2026-05-05
Tool proposals
When Pranas Copilot wants to do something — not just answer a question — it surfaces a Tool Proposal Card. The card describes exactly what would happen, and nothing runs until you explicitly approve. This is the core safety mechanism that lets Copilot be useful without being dangerous.
Why proposals exist
LLMs occasionally misinterpret intent or pick the wrong tool. Auto-executing every suggestion would mean:
- Accidentally registering brands you mentioned conversationally
- Burning credits on scans you didn't authorise
- Editing prompt libraries when you only asked for a summary
Tool proposals make every state-changing action a deliberate two-step: Copilot proposes, you approve.
Anatomy of a proposal card
Each card shows:
- Tool name — the underlying action (e.g.,
register_competitor,generate_prompts,run_ai_scan). - Plain-language description — what this will actually do.
- Arguments — the exact parameters Copilot picked, displayed as editable fields where possible.
- Expected effect — what changes in your account if approved (e.g., "3 new competitors added to Brand X; 30 days of historical data will be retro-tagged").
- Estimated cost in credits, if any.
- Approve / Reject buttons.
Editing before approving
Most argument fields are editable inline. If Copilot proposes registering "Acme Inc." and you'd prefer "Acme Corporation", change it on the card before clicking Approve. Edits are passed back to the tool runner verbatim.
What happens after approval
- The tool executes server-side via the same edge functions the UI uses.
- The card updates with a live status (Running → Complete or Failed).
- The result appears as a follow-up Copilot message with links to the affected resources.
- The action is logged in your account history.
What happens after rejection
The tool doesn't run. Copilot acknowledges the rejection and either suggests an alternative or returns to chat. Rejected proposals do not consume credits.
Which actions need approval
| Action type | Example | Approval required? | Credit cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read your data | Summarise scan results, compute aggregates | No | None |
| Look up help content | Explain a metric or feature | No | None |
| Register a competitor | register_competitor |
Yes | None |
| Generate prompts | generate_prompts |
Yes | Shown on the card |
| Run an AI Scan | run_ai_scan |
Yes | Shown on the card |
| Rejected proposal | Any tool you decline | Not executed | None |
Tools that don't need proposals
Pure read operations (fetching your scan data to summarise, computing aggregates, looking up help articles) don't surface proposal cards — they execute automatically because they can't change anything. Only state-changing tools require approval.
Best practices
- Read the arguments. Especially for batch actions ("register 5 competitors at once"), confirm each one is correct.
- Watch the cost. Scan-related proposals show estimated credits — reject if it's higher than expected and ask Copilot to narrow the scope.
- Reject and rephrase if Copilot picked the wrong tool. A clearer prompt usually produces a better proposal on the next turn.
Related articles
- What is Pranas Copilot?