Story
When an AI agent (an AI that can take actions for me) has changed things for me, I want a list of each thing it did and a way to undo the ones I don't want. Then I can trust it with real work.
Oliver, who runs a bakery in Cape Town, checking what an agent changed in his calendar.
- 01 Setting
Oliver asks the agent to clear Thursday afternoon for a big wedding order.
- 02 Trigger
The agent is done. Then he remembers: the design review with Ama is about his new boxes.
- 03 Without it
The agent says only "I tidied your week". He has to search his calendar, and the agent can't put it back.
- 04 With it
A log lists 5 actions with times. He finds "Declined Design review with Ama" and taps Undo.
- 05 Outcome
The meeting is back, and the log adds a line: "You accepted Design review again".
Live demo
This demo follows a script, so it plays the same every time - there is no real AI behind it. Change a setting to see the same moment play out differently.
What happens, step by step
| State | The person sees | The AI is | When | Screen reader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A header with the count, the time span and how long undo works. Then 1 line per action. | Idle. | when the task ends | “Task complete” |
| 2 | Each line has a time, a past-tense verb and the target. Steps that only read something say "Nothing changed". | Idle. | - | - |
| 3 | The person taps Undo on 1 line. Lines that can't be undone say so, and offer a fix instead. | Reverses that 1 action. | on tap | - |
| 4 | The line is struck through, "Undone by you", and a new line records the undo. | Idle. | about 1 s | “Action undone” |
On each device
- phone
- The log sits in the thread under the result, newest action last. Each Undo is a 44 px target at the end of its line.
- tablet
- As on desktop.
- desktop
- The chat on the left, the log in a pane on the right. Times sit in a fixed column so the eye can scan them.
When to use it
- The agent changes more than 1 thing - files, meetings, emails, records.
- Some of its actions can be reversed, and people will want to reverse 1 without losing the rest.
- People need to check later what happened - for a manager, a client or themselves.
- The action can't be undone and matters - ask before it, not only log after it. Use Approval gate instead.
- The agent only reads and answers. There is nothing to undo - show its steps instead. Use Thinking and processing steps instead.
- People want to go back to a whole earlier version of 1 document. Use Version history and checkpoints instead.
The parts of the pattern
- AHeaderHow many actions, when, and how long undo works.
- B1 line per actionTime, past-tense verb and target. Steps that only read something are listed too, marked "Nothing changed".
- CUndoOn each line that can be reversed. Undoes that line only.
- DCan't undoSaid in words on lines that can't be reversed, like a sent email.
Do and Avoid
09:02 Read 34 emails
09:04 Declined Design review · Undo
09:05 Moved 1:1 with Sipho · Undo
09:06 Emailed Ama · can’t undo
I tidied your week: declined 2 meetings, moved 1 and emailed Ama.
Undo all
09:06 Emailed Ama
Sent · can’t undo · Draft a correction
09:06 Emailed Ama
Undo
Writing and accessibility
- Write each line as a past-tense verb and its target: "Declined Design review with Ama".
- Say how long undo works, once, in the header: "Undo works for 24 hours".
- For actions that can't be reversed, say so: "Sent · can't undo". Offer a fix if there is one.
- Record the undo as a new line, starting with "You": "You accepted Design review again".
- Mark the log up as an ordered list, oldest first, with the time in each item's text.
- Each Undo button names its action: "Undo: Declined Design review with Ama".
- Announce "Action undone" politely after an undo, and keep focus on that line.
- Struck-through text also says "Undone by you" in words, for people who can't see the line.
Seen in real products
- CursorDesktop · Nov 2026Checkpoints save the agent's edits automatically. "Restore Checkpoint" on an earlier request rolls them back. They cover only agent changes and are kept apart from Git.Cursor docs: Checkpoints ↗
- Gemini TaskWeb and apps · Nov 2026The work panel has a "Files" list of the files Gemini read or updated during the task.Gemini Help: Tasks ↗
- Windows Copilot ActionsWindows · Nov 2025The Agent Workspace is described as "auditable". People can review what actions have been taken.Windows Insider Blog (17 Nov 2025) ↗
Each example comes from the product’s help pages, release notes or teardowns, with the month it was checked. Products change every month - tell us when 1 is out of date.
Check yourself
Seen this pattern done better, or a product that changed? Press Suggest next to any heading, or tell us about the whole page.