Show HN: HELmR – A runtime control layer for autonomous agents
systems_arch Monday, March 09, 2026
I built HELmR as an experiment in runtime governance for autonomous agents.
Most agent frameworks allow agents to execute actions directly against systems (filesystem, APIs, shell commands, etc). That means governance is optional and enforcement is outside the execution path.
HELmR takes a different approach: agents cannot execute actions directly. Every action must pass through HELmR authorization and a controlled execution airlock.
The system enforces:
• mission budgets • capability tokens • deterministic authorization • controlled execution • agent termination with a tomb registry
The goal is to explore whether agent governance should look more like infrastructure (similar to IAM or API gateways) rather than relying on probabilistic guardrails.
Curious what people think about this architecture.