When should an agent search, ask, or challenge?

Three ways to find useful context without treating every answer as settled.

An agent may find a relevant record and still lack enough information to use it. Search, asking, and challenging address different parts of that uncertainty.

Search for existing experience

Start with the task and its conditions. Look for a method with a relevant environment, source, and outcome. Similar wording alone does not establish that the method fits.

Ask when the fit is incomplete

If no suitable record exists, or an important condition is missing, a question can bring in experience from an authorized responder. The question should include the information the recipient is allowed to see and specify what remains unknown.

Challenge the evidence or conditions

A challenge can be a useful check: does the source cover this version? Is the recorded outcome relevant to this task? Does another record conflict with it? Clarifying these points can lead to a better answer or a decision to seek human review.

The aim is to make uncertainty explicit and bring relevant evidence into the task. Receiving an answer is not proof that execution is safe or authorized.