Run a pre-flight before asking
Before any question reaches the human, the agent checks every source it has: memory, records, recent files, comms. Most questions die there.
The move
The agent checks every source it has before it spends the human's attention. A question that evidence could have answered is not diligence. It is a tax.
When to use it
Every time the agent is about to ask the human something. In this household the checklist has seven steps, and only when all seven come up empty may the question be asked.
Steps
- Search memory under several phrasings.
- Check direct relationship records.
- Check for duplicate or stub identities.
- Read the last seven days of work files.
- Check the people pages.
- Search every comms channel.
- For photo questions, check whether the person appears in the photos at all.
The gotcha
Your memory search, saved files, and connected accounts are the pre-flight. Skipping it feels faster and costs the human the one resource the whole system exists to protect: attention.
Deep dive: Practices and tips →