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Frequently Asked Questions

FieldValue
Document IDASCEND-HELP-003
Version1.0.0
Last UpdatedDecember 19, 2025
AuthorAscend Engineering Team
PublisherOW-KAI Technologies Inc.
ClassificationEnterprise Client Documentation
ComplianceSOC 2 CC6.1/CC6.2, PCI-DSS 7.1/8.3, HIPAA 164.312, NIST 800-53 AC-2/SI-4

Reading Time: 8 minutes | Skill Level: All Levels

General​

What is ASCEND?​

ASCEND is an enterprise AI governance platform that provides real-time risk assessment, approval workflows, and audit compliance for AI agent actions. It helps organizations maintain control over autonomous AI systems while enabling them to operate safely.

How does ASCEND differ from other security tools?​

ASCEND is purpose-built for AI governance, focusing on:

  • Real-time action evaluation - Every agent action is assessed before execution
  • Risk-based workflows - Actions are routed based on risk level
  • AI-specific policies - Rules designed for AI agent behaviors
  • Unified governance - Same controls for agents and MCP servers

Which AI frameworks are supported?​

ASCEND works with any AI framework or agent system:

  • LangChain
  • AutoGPT
  • CrewAI
  • Claude MCP
  • Custom agents
  • Any system that can make HTTP calls

Authentication​

How do I get an API key?​

API keys are generated through the dashboard or API:

Dashboard:

  1. Navigate to Settings > API Keys
  2. Click "Generate New Key"
  3. Copy the key (shown only once)

API:

curl -X POST "https://pilot.owkai.app/api/keys/generate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <jwt_token>" \
  -d '{"name": "My API Key", "role": "admin"}'

What's the difference between API keys and JWT tokens?​

FeatureAPI KeysJWT Tokens
Use CaseSDK/Agent integrationDashboard/UI
LifetimeLong-lived (configurable)Session-based (30min)
RotationManualAutomatic refresh
PermissionsScoped by roleUser role-based

Why am I getting authentication errors?​

Common causes:

  1. Expired key/token - Check expiration date
  2. Wrong header - Use X-API-Key for keys, Authorization: Bearer for JWT
  3. Revoked key - Check key status in dashboard
  4. Incorrect format - Keys start with owkai_

Actions & Approval​

What happens when I submit an action?​

  1. Risk Assessment - Action is evaluated (0-100 score)
  2. Policy Check - Smart rules are applied
  3. Decision - Auto-approve, require approval, or deny
  4. Audit Log - Event recorded immutably

How long do approvals take?​

Risk LevelTypical Time
Low (auto-approve)Instant
Medium5-15 minutes
High15-60 minutes
Critical1-4 hours

You can configure SLAs and escalation policies for your organization.

Can I skip approval for certain actions?​

Yes, using Smart Rules:

{
  "conditions": {"action_type": "read_only", "risk_score_below": 30},
  "action": "AUTO_APPROVE"
}

What does "pending_approval" mean?​

The action has been submitted but requires human review before execution. An approver with sufficient permissions must approve or deny it.

Risk Assessment​

How is risk score calculated?​

Risk score (0-100) is calculated from multiple factors:

FactorWeightDescription
Data Sensitivity30%PII, financial, health data
Operation Type25%Read vs write vs delete
Financial Impact20%Transaction amounts
Compliance15%Regulatory requirements
Historical10%Agent behavior patterns

Can I customize risk scoring?​

Yes, via the Risk Scoring Configuration API:

curl -X PUT "https://pilot.owkai.app/api/risk-config" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <admin_jwt>" \
  -d '{
    "pii_weights": {"high_sensitivity": 40, "medium_sensitivity": 25},
    "operation_weights": {"delete": 35, "write": 20, "read": 5}
  }'

Agents​

Do I need to register agents?​

Yes, agents must be registered before submitting actions:

curl -X POST "https://pilot.owkai.app/api/agents/register" \
  -H "X-API-Key: owkai_..." \
  -d '{"agent_id": "my-agent", "agent_type": "trading"}'

What is the kill switch?​

The kill switch immediately terminates an agent's ability to execute actions. It's used for:

  • Security incidents
  • Anomalous behavior
  • Emergency response
curl -X POST "https://pilot.owkai.app/api/agents/my-agent/kill" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <admin_jwt>"

How do I monitor agent health?​

Use the Agent Health API:

curl "https://pilot.owkai.app/api/agents/my-agent/health" \
  -H "X-API-Key: owkai_..."

Policies & Rules​

What's the difference between policies and smart rules?​

FeaturePoliciesSmart Rules
ScopeGlobal/organizationTargeted conditions
PriorityBase layerOverride policies
FlexibilityStaticConditional logic
Use CaseDefault behaviorExceptions

How do I create a policy?​

curl -X POST "https://pilot.owkai.app/api/policies" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <admin_jwt>" \
  -d '{
    "name": "High-Value Transaction Review",
    "conditions": {"amount_above": 10000},
    "action": "REQUIRE_APPROVAL",
    "approval_level": 3
  }'

Why was my action denied?​

Check the action details for the denial reason:

curl "https://pilot.owkai.app/api/v1/actions/{action_id}" \
  -H "X-API-Key: owkai_..."

The response includes:

  • risk_score - The calculated risk
  • policy_result - Which policy applied
  • denial_reason - Why it was denied

Integration​

How do I integrate with my existing systems?​

ASCEND offers multiple integration options:

  1. SDK - Python, Node.js
  2. REST API - Direct HTTP calls
  3. Webhooks - Event notifications
  4. SIEM - Splunk, Datadog export
  5. ITSM - ServiceNow, PagerDuty

Can I use ASCEND with on-premises systems?​

Yes:

  • Use our API from your network
  • Configure IP allowlisting
  • Set up VPN connectivity
  • Contact sales for dedicated deployment options

How do webhooks work?​

  1. Configure webhook endpoint
  2. ASCEND sends events with HMAC signature
  3. Your system verifies signature and processes
# Verify webhook signature
expected = hmac.new(secret, payload, sha256).hexdigest()
if expected != received_signature:
    return 401

Compliance​

Which compliance frameworks are supported?​

  • SOC 2 Type II
  • HIPAA
  • PCI-DSS v4.0
  • GDPR
  • CCPA
  • NIST SP 800-53
  • ISO 27001

How long is audit data retained?​

FrameworkRetention
SOX7 years
HIPAA6 years
PCI-DSS1 year
Default2 years

Can I export compliance reports?​

Yes:

curl -X POST "https://pilot.owkai.app/api/compliance-export/exports" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <admin_jwt>" \
  -d '{"framework": "soc2", "report_type": "audit_trail"}'

Performance​

What's the latency for action submission?​

  • P50: 45ms
  • P95: 120ms
  • P99: 250ms

Is there a rate limit?​

EndpointLimit
Action submission1000/min
Authentication5/min
Analytics100/min

How does ASCEND scale?​

ASCEND is designed for enterprise scale:

  • Horizontal scaling
  • Multi-region deployment
  • 99.99% SLA available
  • Handles millions of actions/day

Support​

How do I contact support?​

  • Email: support@owkai.app
  • Portal: support.owkai.app
  • Emergency: Available for Enterprise plans

What information should I provide?​

  1. Request ID / Correlation ID
  2. Error message
  3. Timestamp
  4. Steps to reproduce

Document Version: 1.0.0 | Last Updated: December 2025