Ask only for ground truth
The human is asked only for facts no source can resolve, or for a genuine preference or consent choice. Everything else is the agent's job.
The move
The human is asked only for facts about their own life that no source can resolve, or for a real preference or consent choice. Everything else is the agent's job to determine from evidence.
When to use it
As a standing rule written into the standing files, because a helpful agent's default is to escalate, and escalation feels safe while being the most expensive thing the agent can do.
Steps
- Run the pre-flight first; most questions die there.
- Classify what survives: ground truth, preference, or consent.
- If it is none of the three, decide it from evidence and report the decision.
- Record standing delegations so settled classes of decision are never re-asked.
The gotcha
The filter only works if the delegations are written down. An unwritten delegation gets re-litigated as a fresh question every session.
Deep dive: Practices and tips →