In reconstituted active materials, the activity of the constituent units is determined by their internal dynamics. For example, in microtubules-based fluids, motors move at a chemical fuel concentration-dependent velocity irrespective of external conditions. However, this is not the case in biological systems; organisms can initiate and shut down activity by using feedback loops to regulate components in space and time. Implementing self-regulation mechanisms in synthetic systems is the key to designing autonomous responsive materials and remains an unanswered challenge.