Restrict Echo (not Deep) from weighing in extensively on general information topics that can just be linked to wikipedia #605

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opened 2026-08-13 16:58:32 +00:00 by coilysiren · 5 comments
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its already providing wiki links, it just gives too long of a preamble before them

A recent algebra question produced a two-paragraph intro before the wiki link. Kai wants that down to one or two sentences.


Resolved spec (design pass, 2026-08-15)

Scope, decided 2026-08-13 - Echo only, not Deep. Encyclopedia-shaped topics only. Eco and community questions keep full answers, unchanged. A structural "link first, then a note" inversion and a hard sentence cap were both rejected.

Mechanism, decided 2026-08-15 - a sharper doctrine line, and nothing else. No evaluation case, no production length check.

Rejected, and why each was rejected:

  • Evaluation case with max_reply_words - declined for this ticket. It measures rather than enforces, and Kai is not buying a measurement here.
  • Both a new line and a case - declined for the same reason.
  • Production length check - declined. A genuinely long correct answer that cites a source would trip it, and per the closed-target-set rule a check that can fire on a correct reply does not survive.

Build

The existing line in .agents/skills/sirens-echo-community/SKILL.md:14 is "Start with the requested information." That line is already there and was already ignored, so the replacement must say something the current one does not. Restating it more firmly is the failure mode to avoid.

The instruction must carry all three of these, because the current line carries none of them:

  1. The topic test - encyclopedia-shaped versus Eco and community. This is the load-bearing half. Get it wrong toward encyclopedia and Echo becomes terse about Eco, which is the one thing it should be expansive about.
  2. The shape - lead with the link, then at most two sentences, for encyclopedia-shaped topics only.
  3. The non-restriction - Echo still answers these questions. General-knowledge explainers are explicitly not a denylist category, per #227.

Acceptance

  • An encyclopedia-shaped question ("what is algebra", "who was Ada Lovelace") gets the link plus at most two sentences.
  • An Eco question gets a full answer with no brevity pressure. Check this one explicitly, since it is the failure direction that costs the most.
  • No new validator and no new evaluation case ship with this. Verification is by eye, which is what "sharper doctrine line only" buys.

Related - #213 and #222 set the link-out regime, and this is the brevity half of it not being followed. #607 widens Deep in the opposite direction. Echo goes deep on Eco and links out on everything else, Deep is the broad one, and neither should drift toward the other.

its already providing wiki links, it just gives too long of a preamble before them A recent algebra question produced a two-paragraph intro before the wiki link. Kai wants that down to one or two sentences. --- ## Resolved spec (design pass, 2026-08-15) **Scope, decided 2026-08-13** - Echo only, not Deep. Encyclopedia-shaped topics only. Eco and community questions keep full answers, unchanged. A structural "link first, then a note" inversion and a hard sentence cap were both rejected. **Mechanism, decided 2026-08-15** - a sharper doctrine line, and nothing else. No evaluation case, no production length check. Rejected, and why each was rejected: * Evaluation case with `max_reply_words` - declined for this ticket. It measures rather than enforces, and Kai is not buying a measurement here. * Both a new line and a case - declined for the same reason. * Production length check - declined. A genuinely long correct answer that cites a source would trip it, and per the closed-target-set rule a check that can fire on a correct reply does not survive. **Build** The existing line in `.agents/skills/sirens-echo-community/SKILL.md:14` is "Start with the requested information." That line is already there and was already ignored, so **the replacement must say something the current one does not**. Restating it more firmly is the failure mode to avoid. The instruction must carry all three of these, because the current line carries none of them: 1. The topic test - encyclopedia-shaped versus Eco and community. This is the load-bearing half. Get it wrong toward encyclopedia and Echo becomes terse about Eco, which is the one thing it should be expansive about. 2. The shape - lead with the link, then at most two sentences, for encyclopedia-shaped topics only. 3. The non-restriction - Echo still answers these questions. General-knowledge explainers are explicitly not a denylist category, per #227. **Acceptance** * An encyclopedia-shaped question ("what is algebra", "who was Ada Lovelace") gets the link plus at most two sentences. * An Eco question gets a full answer with no brevity pressure. Check this one explicitly, since it is the failure direction that costs the most. * No new validator and no new evaluation case ship with this. Verification is by eye, which is what "sharper doctrine line only" buys. **Related** - #213 and #222 set the link-out regime, and this is the brevity half of it not being followed. #607 widens Deep in the opposite direction. Echo goes deep on Eco and links out on everything else, Deep is the broad one, and neither should drift toward the other.
coilysiren changed title from Restrict Echo (not Deep) from weighing in on general information topics that can just be linked to wikipedia to Restrict Echo (not Deep) from weighing in extensively on general information topics that can just be linked to wikipedia 2026-08-13 16:59:03 +00:00
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Owner

a recent algebra Q resulted in a 2 paragraph into before the wiki link. I would like that down to 1 or 2 sentences

a recent algebra Q resulted in a 2 paragraph into before the wiki link. I would like that down to 1 or 2 sentences
Member

The rule you are asking for already exists in Echo's doctrine and is not holding. Angie (ENG, claude seat). Not claiming — the fix is doctrine and @Lucia's, but the lever inventory is mine and it is short.

It is already written

.agents/skills/sirens-echo-community/SKILL.md:14:

Start with the requested information. Use concise, factual, impersonal …

That is your "down to 1 or 2 sentences", in the file Echo loads every turn. So this is not a missing instruction. Adding a second sentence saying the same thing more firmly is the cheapest-looking fix and the one least likely to work, because the first one is already there and was ignored.

What could enforce it, and what cannot

Nothing in production bounds reply length except Discord's own cap.

discordReplyLimit   1990 runes, a platform limit, not a style bound
MaxReplyWords       evaluation-only: evaluation.go:46, checked by
                    checkReplyLength at evaluation.go:359

MaxReplyWords is exactly the shape of your ask — "every volunteered justification is words", per its own comment — but it grades an evaluation case. It does not reach a live turn.

So there are three real options, and they are not equal

A sharper doctrine line. Cheapest, and it is what the existing line already tried. If it is taken, it should say something the current line does not — lead with the link, then at most two sentences is a different instruction from start with the requested information, and testable by eye.

An evaluation case with max_reply_words. Turns "too long" into a number that a run reports. Your algebra question is a ready-made case. This is the one I would build, and it is engineering rather than doctrine. It measures rather than enforces, which is the honest description.

A production bound. I would argue against it. A check on preamble length before a link would fire on correct replies — a genuinely long answer that happens to cite a source is not a defect — and per the closed target set a check that can fire on a correct reply does not survive.

What I would want before building the case

The algebra reply itself, or its trace. You saw two paragraphs; a case needs the question and a word count to pick a bound that is tight enough to catch it and loose enough to pass a good answer. Guessing the bound is how a case ends up either permanently red or permanently green.

If you paste the question, I will write the case. If Lucia takes the doctrine half first, the case is how anyone knows whether it worked.

**The rule you are asking for already exists in Echo's doctrine and is not holding. Angie (ENG, claude seat). Not claiming — the fix is doctrine and @Lucia's, but the lever inventory is mine and it is short.** ## It is already written `.agents/skills/sirens-echo-community/SKILL.md:14`: > **Start with the requested information.** Use concise, factual, impersonal … That is your *"down to 1 or 2 sentences"*, in the file Echo loads every turn. **So this is not a missing instruction.** Adding a second sentence saying the same thing more firmly is the cheapest-looking fix and the one least likely to work, because the first one is already there and was ignored. ## What could enforce it, and what cannot **Nothing in production bounds reply length except Discord's own cap.** ``` discordReplyLimit 1990 runes, a platform limit, not a style bound MaxReplyWords evaluation-only: evaluation.go:46, checked by checkReplyLength at evaluation.go:359 ``` `MaxReplyWords` is exactly the shape of your ask — *"every volunteered justification is words"*, per its own comment — but it grades an evaluation case. It does not reach a live turn. ## So there are three real options, and they are not equal **A sharper doctrine line.** Cheapest, and it is what the existing line already tried. If it is taken, it should say something the current line does not — *lead with the link, then at most two sentences* is a different instruction from *start with the requested information*, and testable by eye. **An evaluation case with `max_reply_words`.** Turns "too long" into a number that a run reports. Your algebra question is a ready-made case. This is the one I would build, and it is engineering rather than doctrine. **It measures rather than enforces**, which is the honest description. **A production bound.** I would argue against it. A check on preamble length before a link would fire on correct replies — a genuinely long answer that happens to cite a source is not a defect — and per [the closed target set](https://forgejo.coilysiren.me/coilyco-gaming/sirens-echo/src/branch/main/docs/sirens-echo-battery.md) a check that can fire on a correct reply does not survive. ## What I would want before building the case **The algebra reply itself, or its trace.** You saw two paragraphs; a case needs the question and a word count to pick a bound that is tight enough to catch it and loose enough to pass a good answer. Guessing the bound is how a case ends up either permanently red or permanently green. If you paste the question, I will write the case. If Lucia takes the doctrine half first, the case is how anyone knows whether it worked.
Member

Decided — scoped narrowly: Echo only, general-knowledge topics only

Recorded by Delphi (design seat, standing in for exec). Kai's decision, 2026-08-13.

The restriction applies to Echo and not Deep, and only to topics that are genuinely encyclopedia-shaped. Eco questions keep full answers.

Kai rejected a structural "link first, then a note" inversion and rejected a hard sentence cap.

What this is and is not

Not a new boundary. Echo still answers these questions — Kai explicitly rejected making general-knowledge explainers a denylist category (#227) and the link-out regime already says answer briefly and link (#213, #222).

This is that rule not being followed. Your note: "its already providing wiki links, it just gives too long of a preamble before them." The link-out decision landed; the brevity half did not.

The hard part is the scope test, not the length

Kai's choice puts the weight on which topics qualify. Echo must distinguish:

  • Encyclopedia-shaped"what is algebra", "who was Ada Lovelace". Brief answer, then the link.
  • Eco and community — full answers, unchanged. This is Echo's domain and the restriction must not touch it.

That boundary is the whole design. Get it wrong toward encyclopedia and Echo becomes terse about Eco, which is the one thing it should be expansive about.

Echo, not Deep. Deep is being generalized to a broad gaming/entertainment/tech harness (#607) and keeps its latitude.

The split this creates between the two agents, worth stating

Echo goes deep on Eco and links out on everything else. Deep is the broad one.

That falls out of two decisions made today without either being designed for the other — 605 narrowing Echo's general-knowledge register, 607 widening Deep's. It is a coherent division of labour and worth naming so neither drifts toward the other.

Note

The measured baseline in #175 covers boundary responses. This is the ordinary-response side and has no baseline — worth measuring preamble length before and after, or there is no way to tell whether it worked.

## Decided — scoped narrowly: Echo only, general-knowledge topics only Recorded by Delphi (design seat, standing in for exec). Kai's decision, 2026-08-13. **The restriction applies to Echo and not Deep, and only to topics that are genuinely encyclopedia-shaped.** Eco questions keep full answers. Kai rejected a structural "link first, then a note" inversion and rejected a hard sentence cap. ### What this is and is not **Not a new boundary.** Echo still answers these questions — Kai explicitly rejected making general-knowledge explainers a denylist category (https://forgejo.coilysiren.me/coilyco-gaming/sirens-echo/issues/227) and the link-out regime already says answer briefly and link (https://forgejo.coilysiren.me/coilyco-gaming/sirens-echo/issues/213, https://forgejo.coilysiren.me/coilyco-gaming/sirens-echo/issues/222). **This is that rule not being followed.** Your note: *"its already providing wiki links, it just gives too long of a preamble before them."* The link-out decision landed; the brevity half did not. ### The hard part is the scope test, not the length Kai's choice puts the weight on **which topics qualify**. Echo must distinguish: - **Encyclopedia-shaped** — *"what is algebra"*, *"who was Ada Lovelace"*. Brief answer, then the link. - **Eco and community** — full answers, unchanged. This is Echo's domain and the restriction must not touch it. **That boundary is the whole design.** Get it wrong toward encyclopedia and Echo becomes terse about Eco, which is the one thing it should be expansive about. **Echo, not Deep.** Deep is being generalized to a broad gaming/entertainment/tech harness (https://forgejo.coilysiren.me/coilyco-gaming/sirens-echo/issues/607) and keeps its latitude. ### The split this creates between the two agents, worth stating **Echo goes deep on Eco and links out on everything else. Deep is the broad one.** That falls out of two decisions made today without either being designed for the other — 605 narrowing Echo's general-knowledge register, 607 widening Deep's. It is a coherent division of labour and worth naming so neither drifts toward the other. ### Note The measured baseline in https://forgejo.coilysiren.me/coilyco-gaming/sirens-echo/issues/175 covers boundary responses. **This is the ordinary-response side and has no baseline** — worth measuring preamble length before and after, or there is no way to tell whether it worked.
Member

Landed in 1ea685b, in sirens-echo-community/SKILL.md under the existing link section.

Implements the 2026-08-15 resolved spec and adds nothing to it. That spec is unusually clear about what it did not want, and every rejection is honoured: no evaluation case, no max_reply_words, no production length check, no link-first structural inversion, no hard sentence cap. A sharper doctrine line and nothing else.

The line:

On an encyclopedia-shaped question the link is the answer. Where the substance of the question is the contents of a listed reference page, give one or two sentences and the link, and stop. Not a summary of the page, not a definition followed by its key components, not a survey of the field. The member asked what a thing is and the page they can open says it better and at their own length.

The three "not" clauses are the shapes from #222's transcript rather than invented ones: that reply gave a definition, then key components as a list, then a paragraph on what algebra enables and what it underpins. Naming the shapes does the work a sentence count would have done, without being the cap that was rejected.

Scoped as decided on 2026-08-13. It lands in sirens-echo-community, which only Echo loads, so Deep and Dowel are untouched. The closing paragraph then states what it does not narrow: Eco, community, and deployment questions keep their full answers, because for those no page already says it. Without that, this reads as a general instruction to be terse and collides with the community answers that are supposed to be thorough, which is the failure mode in #1049.

What is owed

Nothing measurable was added, by design, so confirming this works means someone asking Echo an encyclopedia question against a build carrying 1ea685b and reading the preamble length. #222 supplies a ready-made prompt for that.

Refs #222, #1049

**Landed in `1ea685b`**, in `sirens-echo-community/SKILL.md` under the existing link section. Implements the 2026-08-15 resolved spec and adds nothing to it. That spec is unusually clear about what it did not want, and every rejection is honoured: no evaluation case, no `max_reply_words`, no production length check, no link-first structural inversion, no hard sentence cap. A sharper doctrine line and nothing else. The line: > **On an encyclopedia-shaped question the link is the answer.** Where the substance of the question is the contents of a listed reference page, give one or two sentences and the link, and stop. Not a summary of the page, not a definition followed by its key components, not a survey of the field. The member asked what a thing is and the page they can open says it better and at their own length. The three "not" clauses are the shapes from #222's transcript rather than invented ones: that reply gave a definition, then key components as a list, then a paragraph on what algebra enables and what it underpins. Naming the shapes does the work a sentence count would have done, without being the cap that was rejected. **Scoped as decided on 2026-08-13.** It lands in `sirens-echo-community`, which only Echo loads, so Deep and Dowel are untouched. The closing paragraph then states what it does not narrow: Eco, community, and deployment questions keep their full answers, because for those no page already says it. Without that, this reads as a general instruction to be terse and collides with the community answers that are supposed to be thorough, which is the failure mode in #1049. ## What is owed Nothing measurable was added, by design, so confirming this works means someone asking Echo an encyclopedia question against a build carrying `1ea685b` and reading the preamble length. #222 supplies a ready-made prompt for that. Refs #222, #1049
Member

Verified on main: 1ea685b ships the resolved spec's doctrine line in sirens-echo-community/SKILL.md (the encyclopedia-shaped topic test, the one-or-two-sentences-plus-link shape, and the explicit non-restriction), and per the spec nothing else shipped with it - no eval case, no length check. Acceptance is by eye per the spec, so nothing further blocks this issue. Closing as landed.

Verified on main: 1ea685b ships the resolved spec's doctrine line in sirens-echo-community/SKILL.md (the encyclopedia-shaped topic test, the one-or-two-sentences-plus-link shape, and the explicit non-restriction), and per the spec nothing else shipped with it - no eval case, no length check. Acceptance is by eye per the spec, so nothing further blocks this issue. Closing as landed.
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