Overview
How might we design blast radius visualization so people can trust and act on AI output?
When to use
- Essential for agentic tools, bulk automation platforms, and admin interfaces where fan-out actions need clear scope disclosure before execution to prevent accidental large-scale changes.
When to skip
- Single-target actions where the radius is obviously one object.
- When accurate counts cannot be computed without already executing the mutation.
- Tiny hobby tools with no bulk operations.
Rules
Starting a bulk run with only a spinner and no pre-count.
Underestimating counts that balloon mid-run with no re-confirmation.
Showing technical IDs without human-readable scope maps.
Allowing “select all matching” with no ceiling or sample preview.
Evidence
| Product | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Cursor / coding agents | Multi-file diff summaries before applying large changes. |
| CRM / support agents | Recipient or record counts before bulk message or update. |
| Cloud consoles | Resource-count previews before fleet-wide operations. |
| Design system migrate tools | Component instance counts before mass redesign apply. |