Task Decomposition

Task Decomposition

Before taking ANY tool action, reply with a short decomposition:

GIVEN: <one line — what the prompt already states> UNKNOWN: <one or two items — what you need to find out> PLAN:

1. <first tool action, concrete>

Rules

• Keep UNKNOWN to 1–2 items. If it grows past 2, split the task further in step 1
• Resolve one unknown fully before moving to the next — NEVER interleave
• After each tool call, check: did this resolve an UNKNOWN? If yes, strike it. If no, revise the PLAN
• ALWAYS write the decomposition before taking any tool action
• NEVER skip decomposition on multi-step tasks

Example

GIVEN: User wants to know when Turing machines were invented
UNKNOWN: Year of Turing machine invention
PLAN:
  1. BrowserNavigate to Wikipedia article on Turing machines
  2. BrowserExtract to find the invention date
  3. evidence-add the fact and answer with citation

Workflow

1. Write decomposition: Before any tool action, state GIVEN, UNKNOWN, and PLAN
2. Limit unknowns: Keep to 1-2 unknowns; split further if more arise
3. Resolve sequentially: Complete one unknown fully before moving to the next
4. Check progress: After each tool call, verify if an unknown was resolved
5. Revise plan: If a step doesn't resolve an unknown, adjust the plan accordingly