Input Analysis Copied!

Input Analysis checks your input files for changes before your agent runs, so a renamed sheet or a shifted column gets caught up front instead of failing a step halfway through. This article covers what it checks, what happens when it finds something, and how Strict Mode fits in.

Why It Exists Copied!

Your agent runs the same logic every period, but the files feeding it aren't always so consistent. Source systems rename sheet tabs, exported reports shift their header rows, and a column that held clean numbers last month shows up with text mixed in. Small changes like these are the most common reason a run that worked last period fails this one.

Input Analysis catches that drift before it becomes a failure. When it's enabled, every run starts with a quick check of your uploaded files against what the agent expects, based on the file it was built with and what recent successful runs looked like. If everything matches, the run proceeds like normal and you won't notice a thing. If something's off, the run pauses and shows you what changed before any step executes.

What It Checks For Copied!

The check looks for the structural changes most likely to break a run or quietly produce wrong numbers:

Sheet changes. A sheet tab was renamed or is missing entirely.
Header row moved. The header row sits in a different spot than expected, often because rows were added above it.
Column changes. Columns were reordered, or a column the agent needs is missing or renamed.
Data type drift. A column that held one kind of value, like numbers or dates, now contains something else.
File problems. The file format changed (a CSV where the agent expects Excel, for instance), the file type isn't supported, or the file can't be read at all.

When It Finds Something Copied!

The run pauses and you'll see what changed in plain terms, like a sheet that was renamed or a column that moved. For each issue, you choose how to handle it:

Fix the file THIS RUN ONLY Transform adjusts this run's file so it matches what the agent expects, then the run continues. The agent itself doesn't change. A summary of what was adjusted is attached to the run, so there's a record of exactly what happened to the file.

Fix the agent PERMANENT Transform creates a new draft version of the agent with a cleanup step added at the start, so files with this change are handled automatically from now on. You review the draft before it goes live, the same as any other agent edit.

A good rule of thumb: if the change looks like a one-off, fix the file. If your source system changed for good, fix the agent so you're not fixing the same thing every period.

Some issues can't be fixed automatically, like an unsupported file type or a file that won't open. For those, you'll re-upload a corrected file instead.

Strict Mode Copied!

Strict Mode is a companion setting for teams that treat their agents as controlled processes. It decides whether the quick file fix is allowed at all.

With Strict Mode on, fixing the file for a single run is off the table. Every fix has to go through a new version of the agent, which means every change to how the agent handles its inputs passes through your review process before it takes effect.

That's the whole feature, and it's the point: for material processes, nothing about the agent's behavior changes without a versioned, reviewable record. Only Admins can change the Strict Mode setting. Everyone else can see whether it's on, but not flip it.

Turning It On Copied!

Both settings live in your agent's settings, and both are set per agent. Input Analysis is off by default, so nothing changes for your existing agents until you enable it. It's worth turning on for the agents you run every period, since those are the ones where input drift costs you the most.

The Input Analysis and Strict Mode toggles in Agent Settings

The Input Analysis and Strict Mode toggles in your agent's settings.