---
title: "Submit a plan, an instruction, an answer, a handoff, or complete"
method: POST
path: "/preview/research/{name}/steer"
tags: ["research"]
---

# Submit a plan, an instruction, an answer, a handoff, or complete

`POST /preview/research/{name}/steer`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://autoresearch.sfcompute.com`
- URL: `https://autoresearch.sfcompute.com/preview/research/{name}/steer`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Change a research mission, one action per call, against the version you read: `plan` submits a research.plan/v1 plan against the remaining budget (new ids; controls name earlier experiments); `instruction` directs the managed researcher without choosing experiments; `question_id` + `answer` answers its open question; `planner` ("customer" or "managed") hands control over - needs expected_control_version and accepted_work ("continue" or "cancel"); `complete` closes customer-directed work once nothing is running. A stale expected_version is refused: read get_research and retry. Changes are recorded and audited; none of them weakens the check set or raises the budget.

## Path parameters

- `name` string, required: Mission name.

## Query parameters

- `workspace` string

## Request body

- object
  - `accepted_work` string, nullable: What happens to work already admitted on a handoff: "continue" (default) or "cancel".
  - `answer` string, nullable
  - `complete` boolean, nullable: Close customer-directed work; the results keep their evaluation status. Needs expected_control_version.
  - `expected_control_version` integer, nullable: The control version you read; required for a handoff or completion.
  - `expected_version` integer, required: The mission version you read (get_research `version`). A stale version is refused: read again before resubmitting.
  - `idempotency_key` string, nullable: Replay protection for this change.
  - `instruction` string, nullable: Direct the managed researcher without selecting experiments.
  - `plan` unknown
  - `planner` string, nullable: Hand control over: "customer" assigns you, "managed" the platform's researcher. Needs expected_control_version and accepted_work.
  - `question_id` string, nullable: Answer the open question (its id is on get_research).

## Response `200`

The capability's JSON result.

- Result: The capability's result: the same object the MCP tool returns as structuredContent. Resources carry an `object` type discriminator and an immutable id; money is integer micro-dollars in `*_usd_micros` fields.
  - `object` string: The resource type, when the result is one resource.

## Other responses

- `400`: Malformed request: bad JSON, a parameter that does not parse, or a value outside its range. Code `invalid`.
- `401`: No bearer token, or one this API cannot verify. Code `unauthenticated`.
- `403`: Authenticated, but the token's scopes or the account's role do not reach this operation. The message names the scope word to request. Code `forbidden`.
- `404`: No such route. Code `not_found`; the body names the OpenAPI document.
- `422`: A well-formed request the platform declined: no such node, a cap reached, a state that forbids the move. The message says which, and what to do instead. Code `refused`.
- `429`: Over this door's per-customer budget. Wait `Retry-After` seconds. Code `rate_limited`.
- `500`: Our fault. Retry; if it persists, quote the request-id. Code `internal`.

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/givemeanode/apis/autoresearch-customer-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/givemeanode/apis/autoresearch-customer-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/givemeanode/apis/autoresearch-customer-api/revisions/f88dcb70ac6c?raw)