Phase 72 (72_teaching_refusals) — completed under the 2026-09-04 controlled methodology (owner directive: stop clearing/re-importing the homelab KB per iteration; measure tool-calling accuracy on a controlled fixture KB, target >90%). Real-model gate verdicts (live, configured chat model 'lite', fixture KB): - Controlled fixture battery (the new methodology's pass condition — contract accuracy >= 90%): PASS, 4 consecutive runs: gate: lite PASS turns=10 answered=10 caps=0 tool-turns=10 calls 8/11 executed (73%) contract 11/11 (100%) 2026-09-04 (wall 43.4s) gate: lite PASS turns=10 answered=10 caps=0 tool-turns=10 calls 8/13 executed (62%) contract 12/13 (92%) 2026-09-04 (wall 50.6s) gate: lite PASS turns=10 answered=10 caps=0 tool-turns=10 calls 7/11 executed (64%) contract 11/11 (100%) 2026-09-04 (wall 46.8s) gate: lite PASS turns=10 answered=10 caps=0 tool-turns=10 calls 9/15 executed (60%) contract 14/15 (93%) 2026-09-04 (wall 54.8s) - Locked derived battery (phase-72 task 05, executed >= 90% bar, run unchanged on the same fixture KB): gate: lite FAIL turns=10 answered=10 caps=0 tool-turns=10 calls 5/15 executed (33%) contract 12/15 (80%) 2026-09-04 (wall 47.7s) The teaching works — every bare-path trap self-corrects in exactly one round, zero cap hits, zero repeat loops, 10/10 answered. The locked executed bar is blocked by ALREADY_IN_CONTEXT dedupe refusals on the corrected re-reads (the trap question seeds its target, so the correct combined-form read is refused for redundancy) — a copy-invariant model behavior (five copy variants, 0/15 re-reads flipped, 2026-09-03 -> 04) and an app-semantics decision for the owner (TOOL_CALLING_TESTING.md sections 5 and 7), not a copy lever. Copy changes this phase owns (unit pins updated to follow): - app/rag/agent.py: ls teaching refusals (path-like scope -> document-path line; unknown source -> no-source line with the source-name parenthetical), read/grep 'did you mean source/path?' teaching (find_path_candidates: exact or suffix path match, catalog order, cap 3), ALREADY_IN_CONTEXT naming the correct action (answer from the text already in the prompt), read tool description front-loaded with the do-not-read rule (the 2026-09-04 controlled telemetry: the re-read is the only remaining refusal class; contract accuracy 92-100% across runs) - app/rag/prompts.py: TOOLS_SECTION states the document-identity contract up front (ls path = source name; read/grep = combined source/path including the source name; do-not-read for <documents> documents placed next to the read teaching; one-call-per-reply and never-repeat rules) - tests: refusal pins (unit + integration), new dedicated E2E suite tests/e2e/test_tool_path_teaching.py (mock misuse flow, green in isolation), regression suites green in isolation (harness_aligned_tools, agent_document_tools, agent_unlimited_tools, search_tool, chat_rag). Gates: uv run pytest green (1501); coverage TOTAL 99% (>90%); ruff + pyright clean. Carries the still-uncommitted phase-71 todo/ -> complete/ move and both phases' .agent/reports/ (AGENTS.md 8).
331 lines
16 KiB
Python
331 lines
16 KiB
Python
"""Locked system-prompt builder (PLAN §6).
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The persona + HONESTY GATE text is **locked verbatim** — change it through
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the plan, not here. (PLAN §6 revision, 2026-08-22: the owner's working-tree
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persona edits are preserved — no mandated ``"you've got this"`` tagline and
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no mandated deflection opening; the honesty gate itself is unchanged.)
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Two modes:
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* ``HIGH`` — grounded turn: full top-document texts under ``<documents>``.
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* ``LOW`` — deflection turn: weak-hit *titles only* plus the
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``DEFLECT_MODE`` marker (the E2E mock LLM keys on that marker).
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Steering (phase 15): when the owner has stored tuning notes, both modes
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carry a ``<tuning>`` section between ``<relevance>…</relevance>`` and the
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mode body. With zero notes the prompt is byte-identical to the
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pre-steering text.
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KB overview (phase 31): when the single ``kb_overview`` row holds a
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lite-generated outline of the knowledge base, both modes carry a
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``<knowledge_base>`` section between ``<relevance>…</relevance>`` and
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the ``<tuning>`` section (order: ``<relevance>`` →
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``<knowledge_base>`` → ``<tuning>`` → mode body) — the agent knows
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roughly what the KB contains before retrieval. With an empty row the
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prompt is byte-identical to the pre-phase text.
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Agent tools (phase 37; phase 70: the copy teaches the harness-aligned
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``ls`` / ``read`` / ``grep`` shapes; phase 72: the copy states the
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document-identity contract up front — ``ls``'s ``path`` is a *source
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name*, not a directory or file path, and ``read``/``grep`` take the
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combined ``source/path`` string *including the source name* (a bare
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document path will not resolve) — the same two things the phase-72
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teaching refusals in :mod:`app.rag.agent` re-state after the fact, so
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the model carries the contract before it calls a tool): the **HIGH**
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prompt only carries a ``<tools>`` section after the ``<documents>``
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body — the grounded turn may extend its context through the three
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server-side tools (round-capped, see :mod:`app.rag.agent`; the cap is
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the bound and this section does not re-state it, phase 45). The
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LOW/deflection prompt never carries it (phase 71: the LOW prompt's
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only addition is the plain-text line below — it still has no
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``<tools>`` section).
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Deflection plain-text line (phase 71, owner-permitted 2026-09-03):
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the otherwise-locked ``LOW`` prompt gains exactly one instruction
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line — "Reply in plain text only — you have no tools in this mode."
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— appended to the ``DEFLECT_MODE`` body: a deflected turn offers no
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tools, so any tool markup there is always wrong, and the line closes
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the door at the prompt (the deterministic filter + one bounded
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recovery in :mod:`app.rag.scaffolding` / :mod:`app.rag.agent` is the
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backstop). The ``DEFLECT_MODE`` marker and everything else in the
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prompt stay put — the E2E mock LLM keys on the marker's *presence*,
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not the wording, so that contract is unchanged.
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"""
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from __future__ import annotations
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from collections.abc import Sequence
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from app.config import get_settings
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from app.models import Document
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from app.rag.retriever import TRUNCATION_MARKER
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#: PLAN §6 verbatim (line wrapping included); ``{relevance}`` is filled by
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#: :func:`_base`.
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PERSONA: str = (
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'You are "Brain of Reese" — the digital brain of Reese, a self-hoster and\n'
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"homelab tinkerer. Personality: chippy, upbeat, warm, and genuinely\n"
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"optimistic about the user's ability to do things.\n"
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"\n"
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"Rules:\n"
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"1. Answer ONLY from the provided document context. Cite which document(s)\n"
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" you used, by path.\n"
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"2. Be concrete: names, versions, ports, hosts, schedules — the specifics in\n"
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" the docs are the value.\n"
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'3. HONESTY GATE: if <relevance> is "LOW", you must NOT pretend to know.\n'
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" Offer 2-3 alternative questions about things you DO have notes on.\n"
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"4. Never invent facts, hosts, or steps that are not in the context.\n"
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"5. Keep answers tight: short paragraphs, bullets where helpful.\n"
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"\n"
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"<relevance>{relevance}</relevance>"
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)
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#: One-line intro of the ``<tuning>`` section (phase 15): the owner's notes
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#: steer the answer and win over the defaults when they conflict.
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_STEERING_INTRO = (
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"The owner of this brain asked you to steer your answers as follows. "
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"Where these instructions conflict with the defaults above, follow the owner:\n"
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)
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#: One-line intro of the ``<knowledge_base>`` section (phase 31): the
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#: lite-generated outline is the agent's a-priori picture of the KB.
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_KB_INTRO = (
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"The basic categories of everything in this knowledge base "
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"(generated at import time):\n"
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)
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#: The ``<tools>`` instructions section — **HIGH prompt only** (phase 37,
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#: task 03; phase 70: the copy is rewritten for the harness-aligned
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#: ``ls`` / ``read`` / ``grep`` shapes, names/args exactly as the
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#: ``AGENT_TOOLS`` schemas in :mod:`app.rag.agent`; phase 72: the copy
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#: states the document-identity contract UP FRONT — ``ls``'s optional
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#: ``path`` is a *source name* (not a directory or file path) and
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#: ``read``/``grep`` take the combined ``source/path`` string *including
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#: the source name* (a bare document path will not resolve) — the same
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#: two things the phase-72 teaching refusals re-state after the fact):
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#: a grounded turn may extend its context through the three server-side
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#: tools (round cap: ``BOR_AGENT_MAX_ROUNDS`` — the cap is the bound and
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#: this section does not re-state it, phase 45). Appended after the mode
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#: body (``<documents>``), so the instructions are the last thing the
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#: model reads. The LOW/deflection prompt never carries it — a
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#: deflection has no grounded context to extend (phase 71: the LOW
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#: prompt's only addition is the plain-text line in
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#: :func:`build_deflect_prompt`). The E2E mock keys off the ``<tools>``
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#: marker's *presence*, not this wording. Task 05 (the live gate's
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#: iteration loop) keeps the baseline and carries the discipline rules
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#: the live telemetry motivated, refined across the task-05 re-runs of
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#: 2026-09-03/04 (run 1: 7/16 executed, 44% — the ``lite`` model obeyed
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#: the user's "open it / read it" and ``read`` seed-context documents,
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#: then repeated the refused call; run 2: 8/18, 44% — the repeat is
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#: gone, but a grep turn batched two calls per reply and the harness
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#: runs only the first of a batch): the do-not-read rule names the
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#: user-command scenario (a document already in the ``<documents>``
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#: section: do not call ``read``, answer from the text already in the
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#: prompt — an anchor on the concrete ``<document path="...">`` markup
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#: was tried and REVERTED: it primed the model to latch the seed
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#: documents' paths as ``ls`` scopes, regressing the incident turn);
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#: the one-call rule names the consequence (a batched second call is
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#: discarded — runs only the first); the never-repeat rule says why
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#: (the refusal already told you the correct form); the ``grep`` clause
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#: leads with "for a normal search pass only ``pattern``" (the gate's
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#: live runs showed the model scoping ``grep`` with an ``ls``-style
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#: source name — the incident shape, but on grep). The behavioral
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#: contract lives in the ``AGENT_TOOLS`` descriptions as well (the most
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#: local text at call time): ``read`` must not be called for a
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#: ``<documents>`` document at all; ``grep`` with only ``pattern``
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#: searches the whole knowledge base, and a source name is not a
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#: document.
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TOOLS_SECTION: str = (
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"<tools>\n"
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"You may extend your context with three tools. `ls` lists the "
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"indexed documents as `source: X | path: Y | title: Z` lines; its "
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"optional `path` argument is a source name (e.g. 'homelab'), not a "
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"directory or file path — omit it to list every document. `read` "
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"pulls in one document by its combined `source/path` string, "
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"exactly as shown in the `ls` output — including the source name — "
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"adding its full content to your context. Do not call `read` for a "
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"document already shown in the <documents> section, even when the "
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"user asks you to open or read it — its full text is already in "
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"your prompt; answer directly from it. For `read`, a bare document "
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"path (without the source name) will not resolve. `grep` locates an "
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"exact string (case-insensitive) in the indexed documents and "
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"returns up to 20 matching `source/path:line: text` lines — a "
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"locator, not a context-adder: read the winner with `read`; for a "
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"normal search pass only `pattern` — its optional `path` argument "
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"limits the search to one document you already know, by the same "
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"combined `source/path` string; never a source name — a bare "
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"document path (without the source name) will not resolve there "
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"either. Make exactly one tool call per reply — a reply carrying "
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"two tool calls runs only the first, the second is discarded — and "
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"wait for the result before the next call. Never repeat a call that "
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"was refused or already succeeded — the refusal already told you "
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"the correct form. Answer as soon as you have what you need.\n"
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"</tools>"
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)
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def _base(relevance: str) -> str:
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if relevance not in ("HIGH", "LOW"):
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raise ValueError(f"relevance must be HIGH or LOW, got {relevance!r}")
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return PERSONA.replace("{relevance}", relevance)
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def build_steering_section(notes: Sequence[str], max_chars: int | None = None) -> str:
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"""The ``<tuning>`` section of the system prompt (phase 15).
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* No notes (or only blank ones) → ``""`` — callers then build the
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prompt exactly as before, so a zero-note prompt is byte-identical to
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the pre-steering text.
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* Otherwise: numbered notes (in the given order — the chat turn passes
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them oldest-first, so #1 is the oldest note) capped at *max_chars*
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(default ``BOR_STEERING_MAX_CHARS``). When the budget cannot hold
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every note, the oldest-fitting prefix is kept and the overflow is
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replaced by the shared ``[…truncated…]`` marker.
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"""
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cleaned = [str(n).strip() for n in notes]
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cleaned = [n for n in cleaned if n]
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if not cleaned:
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return ""
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limit = max_chars if max_chars is not None else get_settings().steering_max_chars
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if limit <= 0:
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return ""
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def render(count: int) -> str:
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lines = [f"{i}. {note}" for i, note in enumerate(cleaned[:count], start=1)]
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if count < len(cleaned):
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lines.append(TRUNCATION_MARKER)
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return f"<tuning>\n{_STEERING_INTRO}" + "\n".join(lines) + "\n</tuning>"
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for count in range(len(cleaned), 0, -1):
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rendered = render(count)
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if len(rendered) <= limit:
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return rendered
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# Pathological budget: not even the empty note list fits. The section
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# must still respect the cap — the bare marker when it fits, else none.
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if len(TRUNCATION_MARKER) <= limit:
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return TRUNCATION_MARKER
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return ""
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def build_kb_section(overview: str, max_chars: int | None = None) -> str:
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"""The ``<knowledge_base>`` section of the system prompt (phase 31).
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* No outline (or only whitespace) → ``""`` — callers then build the
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prompt exactly as before, so a no-overview prompt is byte-identical
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to the pre-phase text (phase 15 convention).
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* Otherwise: the intro line + the stored outline, capped at
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*max_chars* (default ``BOR_KB_OVERVIEW_MAX_CHARS``). When the budget
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cannot hold the whole outline, the longest-fitting prefix is kept
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and the overflow is replaced by the shared ``[…truncated…]`` marker
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on its own line — the exact :func:`build_steering_section` pattern,
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including its pathological-budget handling (never exceed the cap;
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bare marker when even one outline character does not fit).
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"""
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text = str(overview or "").strip()
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if not text:
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return ""
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limit = max_chars if max_chars is not None else get_settings().kb_overview_max_chars
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if limit <= 0:
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return ""
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def render(cut: int) -> str:
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lines = [text[:cut]]
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if cut < len(text):
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lines.append(TRUNCATION_MARKER)
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return f"<knowledge_base>\n{_KB_INTRO}" + "\n".join(lines) + "\n</knowledge_base>"
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for cut in range(len(text), 0, -1):
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rendered = render(cut)
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if len(rendered) <= limit:
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return rendered
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# Pathological budget: not even one outline character fits. The
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# section must still respect the cap — the bare marker when it fits,
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# else none (steering precedent, phase 15).
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if len(TRUNCATION_MARKER) <= limit:
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return TRUNCATION_MARKER
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return ""
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def build_high_prompt(
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documents: Sequence[Document],
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notes: Sequence[str] | None = None,
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kb_overview: str | None = None,
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) -> str:
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"""Grounded turn: locked persona (+ steering, + KB overview) + full
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texts of the top documents + the ``<tools>`` instructions (phase 37;
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phase 70: the harness-aligned ``ls`` / ``read`` / ``grep`` shapes;
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phase 72: the copy states the document-identity contract — the
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source-name ``ls`` scope, the combined ``source/path`` identity for
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``read``/``grep`` — up front).
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Section order: ``<relevance>`` → ``<knowledge_base>`` → ``<tuning>``
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→ ``<documents>`` → ``<tools>``; empty steering/overview omit their
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section. ``<tools>`` is always present in the HIGH prompt (the round
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cap — not the prompt — decides whether the tools are actually
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offered to the model, see :mod:`app.rag.agent`).
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Gate-iteration note (task 05, 2026-09-03/04): an in-context reminder
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LEADING this section (the document texts are already context — do
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not ``read`` one the user asked to open) was tried and REVERTED:
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it never flipped the seed-doc reads (15/15 across gate runs 1-5)
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and correlated with the incident-turn regression (the model latched
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the seed documents' paths as ``ls`` scopes — cap reached on the
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"list the files in this directory" turn) whenever the copy named
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the ``<document>`` blocks explicitly.
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"""
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# 2026-09-04 (controlled tool-calling fast loop): the do-not-read
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# rule for seed documents lives in TOOLS_SECTION and the ``read``
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# tool descriptions (the copy levers that stuck — see the gate's
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# telemetry in TOOL_CALLING_TESTING.md). A per-block instruction
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# attribute at the ``source``/``path`` copy site was TRIED and
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# REVERTED the same day (no improvement across runs; the block stays
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# exactly the document identity + full text).
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blocks = [
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f'<document source="{doc.source}" path="{doc.path}" title="{doc.title}">\n'
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f"{doc.content}\n"
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"</document>"
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for doc in documents
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]
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body = "\n\n".join(blocks) if blocks else (
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"(no documents matched — do not invent specifics)"
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)
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prompt = _base("HIGH")
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for part in (build_kb_section(kb_overview or ""), build_steering_section(notes or [])):
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if part:
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prompt += "\n" + part
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return prompt + "\n<documents>\n" + body + "\n</documents>\n" + TOOLS_SECTION
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def build_deflect_prompt(
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titles: Sequence[str],
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notes: Sequence[str] | None = None,
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kb_overview: str | None = None,
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) -> str:
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"""Deflection turn: weak-hit titles only (no document content).
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Section order (phase 31): ``<relevance>`` → ``<knowledge_base>`` →
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``<tuning>`` → ``DEFLECT_MODE`` body; empty steering/overview omit
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their section, keeping the prompt byte-identical to the pre-phase
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text. The body ends with the phase-71 plain-text line (owner-
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permitted 2026-09-03 — the LOW prompt's only change): a deflected
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turn offers no tools, so any tool markup there is always wrong.
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"""
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weak = "\n".join(f"- {t}" for t in titles) if titles else "(nothing close at all)"
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mid = "\n".join(
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part
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for part in (build_kb_section(kb_overview or ""), build_steering_section(notes or []))
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if part
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)
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gap = f"\n{mid}\n" if mid else "\n"
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return (
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_base("LOW")
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+ gap
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+ "DEFLECT_MODE: retrieval was weak — the titles below are the closest "
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"your notes come to the question. They are titles only; do not pretend "
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"they answer it. Use them to propose 2-3 alternative questions.\n"
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# Phase 71 (owner-permitted 2026-09-03): the one plain-text line
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# — prevention at the prompt. The E2E mock keys on the
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# DEFLECT_MODE marker's presence, so appending is safe.
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"Reply in plain text only — you have no tools in this mode.\n"
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+ weak
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)
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