Definition
Plain language
A way to undo a long multi-step process by running a matching reverse action for each step, instead of magically rewinding.
As stated in the literature
A long-running-transaction pattern where each step registers a compensating action at execution time, enabling rollback-by-compensation when atomic rollback is impossible; the basis for making agents' real-world writes reversible in CoAgent.
Also called: sagas
Why it matters: It lets an AI safely undo real-world actions step by step in situations where there is no simple rewind button.
For example, to cancel a trip an agent already booked, it runs a matching reverse step for each action—refunding the payment, releasing the hotel room, and voiding the ticket—instead of magically undoing them all at once.
Heard on the show
“The mechanism is essentially a saga — that's an old database idea, going back to the eighties.”Episode 150 — Don't Kill the Loser: A Different Way to Handle Two AI Agents Colliding