Evidence boundary
Public facts require authoritative sources
Use cited public sources for factual claims about the world.
Answer with cited public sources (authoritative sources required) — procedure
Step-by-step guide for factual answers backed by cited public sources, with fail-closed behavior when sources are missing.
Use this procedure for cited public-source answers
Choose this procedure when the answer must be based on cited public sources such as standards, peer-reviewed papers, textbooks, official documentation, or recognized institutions.
Local-state rule
Public sources do not prove your own system state
Claims about your system, run, repo, screenshots, or uploaded materials still require user-provided files.
Do not cross the evidence boundary.
Fail closed
Missing sources stop the answer
If required authoritative sources are missing, the assistant must return the exact fail-closed response.
No unsourced public facts.
Canonical links
Open the linked policy, prompt file, and adjacent references that implement this procedure.
Related
Policy and prompt files for this guide
Open the policy linked to this guide and any prompt files used with it.
Prompt files (3) Hide prompt files
Common uses
These are the most typical tasks for an authoritative-sources answer flow.
Explain what a source says
Use this path when the answer depends on a standard, paper, or official document.
Verify a public claim
Use this path when the task is to confirm or reject a claim using cited public evidence.
Answer current or niche questions
Use this path when the answer depends on public documentation that may require browsing or search.
Compare public sources
Use this path when multiple cited sources must be compared and disagreements surfaced.
What you need before you run it
Prepare the source boundary and source-locator inputs before asking for work.
Source input
Authoritative public sources in hand or searchable
Provide the authoritative public sources directly, or use a runtime that can browse or search for them.
Locator contract
Stable locators for each source
Use stable locators such as DOI, standard + section, textbook title + edition + section, or official documentation with version/date + section.
Local evidence when needed
Attach your own files for local-state claims
If the question also asks about your own local system, logs, repo, or screenshots, attach those materials too.
Run the procedure
Follow these steps in order.
Step 1
Install the system prompt file
Copy and paste the linked system prompt file into your runtime.
If your runtime supports roles, paste it as a system/developer message. Otherwise, paste it at the top of your prompt.
Step 2
Gather the authoritative sources
Collect the public sources you want the model to use for the answer.
Step 3
Add browsing components when the model must find sources
If the model must find the sources for you, also add the following components:
web-verification-and-citations.system.txt as an additional system prompt file
web-browsing.user.txt in the user message
web-browsing.user.txt in the user message
Step 4
Require stable citations for world-claims
Ask the question and require stable citations for factual claims about the world.
Step 5
Attach local artifacts when the question mixes source types
If the question mixes public facts with claims about your own files, run, repo, or screenshots, attach those materials too.
Public sources do not prove local state.
Step 6
Fail closed when a core claim is unsupported
If a core claim cannot be verified from authoritative sources, the assistant must respond with the exact sentinel below.
HANDS UP – no source, cannot verify.Expected output
A correct run ends in one of these two outcomes.
Cited answer
An answer with stable citations for the relevant factual claims.
Exact fail-closed sentinel
If support is missing, the answer must return the exact fail-closed sentinel instead of continuing.
Common mistakes
These are the most common failure points for this procedure.
Wrong evidence type
Treating a local-state question as if public documentation can prove it.
Weak locator
Using links or vague references without stable locators.
No browsing path for current facts
Asking for “the latest” or other current facts without giving the model browsing or search capability.
Mixed workflow
Mixing this guide with a files-only workflow when the answer depends on public sources.
Related libraries
Open the matching library when you need the broader policy set, adjacent procedures, prompt files, or the content map.
Policies
Browse the rule set behind this authoritative-sources procedure.
Open index →
How-to
Browse the full procedural library and adjacent evidence-boundary workflows.
Open index →
Prompt library
Open the prompt files used to enforce this procedure in a runtime.
Open library →
Content map
Open the broader site structure and adjacent pages.
Open page →