CopilotKit

HITL Overview

Allow your agent and users to collaborate on complex tasks.


/** * LangGraph TypeScript agent backing the In-Chat HITL (useHumanInTheLoop) demo. * * The `book_call` tool is defined on the frontend via `useHumanInTheLoop`, * so there is no backend tool here. CopilotKit forwards the frontend tool * schemas to the agent at runtime via `state.copilotkit.actions`; the agent * binds them when invoking the model so the frontend-rendered time-picker * can resolve the call. */import { RunnableConfig } from "@langchain/core/runnables";import { SystemMessage } from "@langchain/core/messages";import { MemorySaver, START, StateGraph } from "@langchain/langgraph";import { ChatOpenAI } from "@langchain/openai";import {  convertActionsToDynamicStructuredTools,  CopilotKitStateAnnotation,} from "@copilotkit/sdk-js/langgraph";const AgentStateAnnotation = CopilotKitStateAnnotation;export type AgentState = typeof AgentStateAnnotation.State;const SYSTEM_PROMPT =  "You help users book an onboarding call with the sales team. " +  "When they ask to book a call, call the frontend-provided " +  "`book_call` tool with a short topic and the user's name. " +  "Keep any chat reply to one short sentence.";async function chatNode(state: AgentState, config: RunnableConfig) {  const model = new ChatOpenAI({ temperature: 0, model: "gpt-4o-mini" });  const modelWithTools = model.bindTools!([    ...convertActionsToDynamicStructuredTools(state.copilotkit?.actions ?? []),  ]);  const response = await modelWithTools.invoke(    [new SystemMessage({ content: SYSTEM_PROMPT }), ...state.messages],    config,  );  return { messages: response };}const workflow = new StateGraph(AgentStateAnnotation)  .addNode("chat_node", chatNode)  .addEdge(START, "chat_node")  .addEdge("chat_node", "__end__");const memory = new MemorySaver();export const graph = workflow.compile({  checkpointer: memory,});

What is this?#

Human-in-the-loop (HITL) lets an agent pause mid-run to collect input, confirmation, or a choice from the user, then resume with that answer folded back into its reasoning. It's what turns an autonomous workflow into a collaborative one: the agent keeps its context, the user keeps the steering wheel.

When should I use this?#

Use HITL when you need:

  • Quality control — a human gate at high-stakes decision points
  • Edge cases — graceful fallbacks when the agent's confidence is low
  • Expert input — lean on the user for domain knowledge the model lacks
  • Reliability — a more robust loop for real-world, production traffic

Two patterns for HITL in CopilotKit#

CopilotKit ships two complementary ways to pause an agent turn and ask the human something. They look similar from the outside (the chat pauses, a custom component appears, the user answers, the run resumes) but they're wired differently on the backend, and each has its own niche.

PatternWho decides to pause?Backend surface
useHumanInTheLoopThe LLM, by calling a registered client-side toolA frontend-only tool description (Zod schema + render)
useInterruptThe graph, by calling interrupt(...) during a nodeA server-side interrupt() call in your LangGraph agent

Pick useHumanInTheLoop when the pause is an agent-initiated decision — the model chose to ask the user — and you want the picker UI inlined into the normal tool-call flow.

Pick useInterrupt when the pause is a graph-enforced checkpoint — the code path deterministically requires a human answer — and you want langgraph.interrupt() as the server-side contract.

Pattern 1 — useHumanInTheLoop (tool-based)#

The agent registers a HITL tool on the client with useHumanInTheLoop. When the LLM calls that tool, CopilotKit routes the call through your render function, which shows a custom component and calls respond with the user's answer. The agent sees the answer as the tool result and continues from there.

page.tsx
import React from "react";import {  CopilotKit,  CopilotChat,  useHumanInTheLoop,  useConfigureSuggestions,} from "@copilotkit/react-core/v2";import { z } from "zod";import { TimePickerCard, TimeSlot } from "./time-picker-card";const DEFAULT_SLOTS: TimeSlot[] = [  { label: "Tomorrow 10:00 AM", iso: "2026-04-19T10:00:00-07:00" },  { label: "Tomorrow 2:00 PM", iso: "2026-04-19T14:00:00-07:00" },  { label: "Monday 9:00 AM", iso: "2026-04-21T09:00:00-07:00" },  { label: "Monday 3:30 PM", iso: "2026-04-21T15:30:00-07:00" },];export default function HitlInChatDemo() {  return (    <CopilotKit runtimeUrl="/api/copilotkit" agent="hitl-in-chat">      <div className="flex justify-center items-center h-screen w-full">        <div className="h-full w-full max-w-4xl">          <Chat />        </div>      </div>    </CopilotKit>  );}function Chat() {  useConfigureSuggestions({    suggestions: [      {        title: "Book a call with sales",        message:          "Please book an intro call with the sales team to discuss pricing.",      },      {        title: "Schedule a 1:1 with Alice",        message: "Schedule a 1:1 with Alice next week to review Q2 goals.",      },    ],    available: "always",  });  useHumanInTheLoop({    agentId: "hitl-in-chat",    name: "book_call",    description:      "Ask the user to pick a time slot for a call. The picker UI presents fixed candidate slots; the user's choice is returned to the agent.",    parameters: z.object({      topic: z        .string()        .describe("What the call is about (e.g. 'Intro with sales')"),      attendee: z        .string()        .describe("Who the call is with (e.g. 'Alice from Sales')"),    }),    render: ({ args, status, respond }: any) => (      <TimePickerCard        topic={args?.topic ?? "a call"}        attendee={args?.attendee}        slots={DEFAULT_SLOTS}        status={status}        onSubmit={(result) => respond?.(result)}      />    ),  });

The picker UI is fed a static list of candidate slots — this is just data the demo page owns, so you can swap in real availability, a calendar API, or anything else:

page.tsx
import React from "react";import {  CopilotKit,  CopilotChat,  useHumanInTheLoop,  useConfigureSuggestions,} from "@copilotkit/react-core/v2";import { z } from "zod";import { TimePickerCard, TimeSlot } from "./time-picker-card";const DEFAULT_SLOTS: TimeSlot[] = [  { label: "Tomorrow 10:00 AM", iso: "2026-04-19T10:00:00-07:00" },  { label: "Tomorrow 2:00 PM", iso: "2026-04-19T14:00:00-07:00" },  { label: "Monday 9:00 AM", iso: "2026-04-21T09:00:00-07:00" },  { label: "Monday 3:30 PM", iso: "2026-04-21T15:30:00-07:00" },];

Pattern 2 — useInterrupt (graph-paused)#

With LangGraph's interrupt() the pause is enforced by the graph itself: a node calls interrupt({...}), the run suspends, the client receives the payload, renders a UI, and resumes the run with the user's answer. CopilotKit's useInterrupt hook is the render contract.

See the useInterrupt deep dive for the full walkthrough, including the backend tool and render-prop wiring.

/** * LangGraph TypeScript agent for the Interrupt-based Generative UI demos. * * Defines a backend tool `schedule_meeting(topic, attendee)` that uses * langgraph's `interrupt()` primitive to pause the run and surface the * meeting context to the frontend. The frontend `useInterrupt` renderer * shows a time picker and resolves with `{chosen_time, chosen_label}` or * `{cancelled: true}`, which this tool turns into a human-readable result. * * Ported from `src/agents/interrupt_agent.py` in the langgraph-python package. */import { z } from "zod";import type { RunnableConfig } from "@langchain/core/runnables";import { tool } from "@langchain/core/tools";import { ToolNode } from "@langchain/langgraph/prebuilt";import type { AIMessage } from "@langchain/core/messages";import { SystemMessage } from "@langchain/core/messages";import {  MemorySaver,  START,  StateGraph,  Annotation,  interrupt,} from "@langchain/langgraph";import { ChatOpenAI } from "@langchain/openai";import {  convertActionsToDynamicStructuredTools,  CopilotKitStateAnnotation,} from "@copilotkit/sdk-js/langgraph";// Demo-only fixed timezone offset (Pacific = UTC-7 in PDT, UTC-8 in PST).// A real app would use the user's calendar + locale; we hardcode Pacific so// screenshots are stable. Mirrors interrupt_agent.py.const DEMO_TZ_OFFSET_HOURS = -7; // PDTinterface TimeSlot {  label: string;  iso: string;}function candidateSlots(): TimeSlot[] {  const now = new Date();  // "Tomorrow"  const tomorrow = new Date(now);  tomorrow.setDate(now.getDate() + 1);  // "Monday" — at least 2 days away to avoid collisions with "Tomorrow"  const dayOfWeek = now.getDay(); // 0=Sun, 1=Mon, ..., 6=Sat  let daysToMonday = (1 - dayOfWeek + 7) % 7;  if (daysToMonday <= 1) daysToMonday += 7;  const nextMonday = new Date(now);  nextMonday.setDate(now.getDate() + daysToMonday);  const fmt = (d: Date, hour: number, minute = 0): string => {    // Build an ISO-like string with the demo timezone offset    const sign = DEMO_TZ_OFFSET_HOURS >= 0 ? "+" : "-";    const absOffset = Math.abs(DEMO_TZ_OFFSET_HOURS);    const hh = String(absOffset).padStart(2, "0");    return `${d.getFullYear()}-${String(d.getMonth() + 1).padStart(2, "0")}-${String(d.getDate()).padStart(2, "0")}T${String(hour).padStart(2, "0")}:${String(minute).padStart(2, "0")}:00${sign}${hh}:00`;  };  return [    { label: "Tomorrow 10:00 AM", iso: fmt(tomorrow, 10) },    { label: "Tomorrow 2:00 PM", iso: fmt(tomorrow, 14) },    { label: "Monday 9:00 AM", iso: fmt(nextMonday, 9) },    { label: "Monday 3:30 PM", iso: fmt(nextMonday, 15, 30) },  ];}const SYSTEM_PROMPT =  "You are a scheduling assistant. Whenever the user asks you to book a " +  "call / schedule a meeting, you MUST call the `schedule_meeting` tool. " +  "Pass a short `topic` describing the purpose and `attendee` describing " +  "who the meeting is with. After the tool returns, confirm briefly " +  "whether the meeting was scheduled and at what time, or that the user " +  "cancelled.";const AgentStateAnnotation = Annotation.Root({  ...CopilotKitStateAnnotation.spec,});export type AgentState = typeof AgentStateAnnotation.State;const scheduleMeeting = tool(  async ({ topic, attendee }: { topic: string; attendee?: string | null }) => {    // langgraph's `interrupt()` pauses execution and forwards the payload to    // the client. The frontend v2 `useInterrupt` hook renders the picker and    // calls `resolve(...)` with the user's selection, which comes back here.    const response: unknown = interrupt({      topic,      attendee: attendee ?? null,      slots: candidateSlots(),    });    if (response && typeof response === "object") {      const resp = response as Record<string, unknown>;      if (resp.cancelled) {        return `User cancelled. Meeting NOT scheduled: ${topic}`;      }      const chosenLabel =        (resp.chosen_label as string | undefined) ??        (resp.chosen_time as string | undefined);      if (chosenLabel) {        return `Meeting scheduled for ${chosenLabel}: ${topic}`;      }    }    return `User did not pick a time. Meeting NOT scheduled: ${topic}`;  },  {    name: "schedule_meeting",    description:      "Ask the user to pick a time slot for a call, via an in-chat picker.",    schema: z.object({      topic: z        .string()        .describe("Short human-readable description of the call's purpose."),      attendee: z        .string()        .nullable()        .optional()        .describe("Who the call is with (optional)."),    }),  },);const tools = [scheduleMeeting];async function chatNode(state: AgentState, config: RunnableConfig) {  const model = new ChatOpenAI({ temperature: 0, model: "gpt-4o-mini" });  const modelWithTools = model.bindTools!([    ...convertActionsToDynamicStructuredTools(state.copilotkit?.actions ?? []),    ...tools,  ]);  const systemMessage = new SystemMessage({ content: SYSTEM_PROMPT });  const response = await modelWithTools.invoke(    [systemMessage, ...state.messages],    config,  );  return { messages: response };}function shouldContinue({ messages, copilotkit }: AgentState) {  const lastMessage = messages[messages.length - 1] as AIMessage;  if (lastMessage.tool_calls?.length) {    const actions = copilotkit?.actions;    const toolCallName = lastMessage.tool_calls![0].name;    if (!actions || actions.every((action) => action.name !== toolCallName)) {      return "tool_node";    }  }  return "__end__";}const workflow = new StateGraph(AgentStateAnnotation)  .addNode("chat_node", chatNode)  .addNode("tool_node", new ToolNode(tools))  .addEdge(START, "chat_node")  .addEdge("tool_node", "chat_node")  .addConditionalEdges("chat_node", shouldContinue as any);const memory = new MemorySaver();export const graph = workflow.compile({  checkpointer: memory,});

Going headless#

Both patterns above ship with a render prop — CopilotKit handles the "when to show the picker" logic for you. If you want to drive interrupt resolution from a custom UI that lives anywhere in the tree (not necessarily inside a chat), see the headless interrupts guide — it shows how to compose useAgent, agent.subscribe, and copilotkit.runAgent to build your own useInterrupt equivalent.