The original title is "AI Agents Need Runtime State Checks, Not Just Better Prompts"

Short summary

AI agent failures are increasingly runtime state bugs—not just prompt or model issues. The author introduces AI CostGuard, a local-first TypeScript/Node.js pre-call guard that checks agent state (budget, step count, approval status, progress) before allowing provider calls. The key insight: background agents need a real state machine that gates every API call.

• •Agent failures are runtime state bugs: approval gaps, stale status, runaway execution
• •AI CostGuard is a pre-call guard checking budget, steps, approvals before provider calls
• •Background agents require a state machine that decides if each call is still allowed

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