Grounded Composition

Use this workflow when the user is not only asking for a direct answer, but is asking for evidence-backed drafting, planning, synthesis, or composition work such as:

• slide or deck planning
• executive summary drafting
• outline design
• wording proposals
• research bundles for a later deliverable

This is an inner specialist workflow behind ask. Ordinary users should not need to name it explicitly before asking.

Front-Door Precondition

• grounded-composition is never a free-standing ordinary front door.
• Start only from canonical ask turn metadata and canonical ask runtime ownership.
• Start only after canonical ask has already handed the live turn here with status = execute and inner_workflow_id = grounded-composition.
• If the current turn is missing that ask-owned handoff, stop and route back to ask.

Required Capabilities

• local file access
• shell or command execution
• ability to inspect structured JSON output
• ability to inspect rendered images when visual style, layout, or diagram detail matters

If the environment cannot inspect the required evidence, stop and explain the blocker instead of improvising weak output.

Procedure

1. Start from the canonical ask turn metadata and answer-file path.
   • honor the ask-owned work_brief, resolved decisions, accepted scopes, and affected-output boundary; do not silently change the requested medium, method, storyline, or locked scope
   • honor ask-provided reference_resolution, source_scope_policy, semantic_analysis.evidence_requirements, and support_contract as the governing first-pass plan for this turn
   • begin with a short support ledger:
     • which source boundary must survive
     • which comparison sources must both survive
     • which published evidence channels are required
     • whether the one allowed contract-repair chance is still unused
2. Treat the task as KB-first escalation:
   • run retrieval and trace first
   • for host-visible inspection, prefer docmason retrieve ... --json --compact and docmason trace ... --json --compact; if you truly need nested retrieve or trace detail, redirect full --json to a local file and inspect it selectively instead of loading the raw payload into the live chat context
   • treat compact retrieve and trace payloads as the stable host-facing projection; start from results, reference_resolution, source_scope_policy, answer_state, issue_codes, and recommended_hybrid_targets before opening nested JSON
   • do not build alternate compact schemas with ad hoc jq assumptions such as .matches
   • inspect reference_resolution when the user names a document or locator in user-native terms
   • inspect published text, render, structure, notes, or media artifacts first
   • treat those published artifacts as the primary working surface: draft from retrieved units and artifact sidecars first, inspect cited focus_render_assets when visual or tabular semantics matter, and reopen source files only after the published KB has been shown insufficient for the requested deliverable
   • for spreadsheet, chart, table, diagram, PDF-layout, or slide-structure work, read the compact artifact-aware payload first:
     • matched_artifact_ids
     • matched_unit_ids
   • focus_render_assets
   • recommended_hybrid_targets
   • when exact artifact metadata is required, inspect the published artifact sidecars or a file-first full retrieve capture rather than dumping the full nested payload into chat:
   • artifact_index.json
   • visual_layout/*.json
   • spreadsheet_workbook.json
   • spreadsheet_sheet/*.json
   • pdf_document.json
   • semantic_overlay/*.json when present
   • if the composition task still depends on unresolved hard-artifact semantics, the canonical path must enter the governed ask-time multimodal refresh before any source fallback
     • use recommended_hybrid_targets as the only legal narrowing entrypoint
     • write the current-turn hybrid_refresh_work.json
     • reuse a matching shared refresh result when the turn is a waiter
     • complete the selected source's current hybrid candidates, inspect listed render or focus-render assets when present and relevant to the deliverable, then rerun retrieve and trace before drafting the final synthesis
     • record lightweight settlement audit fields such as render_inspection_used and inspected_render_assets when the work packet exposes visual assets
     • after one covered refresh and post-refresh retrieve/trace, close honestly with the remaining support boundary instead of starting a second same-turn refresh
     • if the governed refresh settles blocked, stop with abstained + governed-boundary instead of improvising around the gap
   • inspect direct source files or rerender only when the published-artifact plan says the knowledge base is insufficient for style, visual structure, or low-level detail
   • bring in external verification or stable model knowledge only when the composition task genuinely needs it, and keep the support basis explicit
3. Start complex work with a visible method or plan summary before diving into the deeper evidence loop.
   • for a high-cost multi-part artifact, lock the framework, storyline, scope ownership, and page or section responsibilities before bulk production
   • when the expression grammar is still unproven and batch rework would be expensive, create one representative sample and validate it before expanding the set
   • when the workflow enters repository-owned drafting work, record the phase honestly through the hidden run-phase helpers:
     • first drafting pass -> draft
     • answer text changed before a follow-on trace -> rewrite
     • a later trace over the updated draft -> retrace
     • shared confirmation or shared-job waiting -> retry_wait
4. Keep the work evidence-backed rather than speculative.
5. For compare or synthesis tasks, keep an explicit support ledger while drafting:
   • which source or unit supports each major claim
   • which artifact supports each visual, tabular, or layout-sensitive claim
   • whether the current support set still lacks balance across compared documents
   • when draft, rewrite, or retrace work creates more than one ask-owned retrieve session or more than one plausible final trace candidate, also keep an explicit artifact ledger:
     • preserve the selected ask-owned session_ids that support the final deliverable
     • preserve the selected trace_ids that bind the answer-file version you intend to commit
     • return those selected IDs to the main agent for finalize-time use instead of leaving ambiguity to complete_ask_turn()
6. Do not route simple direct factual questions into composition just because the wording is polite or open-ended.
7. Write the main user-facing result to the canonical answer file under runtime/answers/.
   • keep that canonical answer file for the final result only, not process chatter
8. When structured drafting or research artifacts help, place them under runtime/agent-work/<conversation_id>/<turn_id>/.
   • keep a bundle manifest
   • keep at least one research-notes artifact
   • add draft artifacts when needed
9. Run final provenance tracing over the answer file when the result makes source-grounded claims.
   • do not keep retracing the same unchanged answer text; if the answer-file digest did not change and no new trace or session is needed, stop or reuse the existing final trace instead of silently looping
   • hand the same answer-file path, plus any selected session_ids / trace_ids, back for hidden finalize; prefer the structured workflow_outcome handoff when the workflow already knows the correct support_basis, selected IDs, bundle linkage, or other finalize-owned facts
   • if finalize returns status = execute together with a repairable support_fulfillment, do one contract-aware rewrite and retrace on the same turn, then finalize once more
   • if finalize returns status = execute together with admissibility_repair, use its issue codes and suggested action to rewrite the same answer file, rerun trace, and finalize once more
   • do not render terminal closure metadata yourself; return the exact deliverable and workflow-owned support facts to ask, which alone decides whether a separate status line or boundary explanation is user-visible
10. Return the main result plus any relevant bundle paths, support boundary, overall support basis, and next steps to the main agent.

Escalation Rules

• Do not bypass retrieval and trace just because the task feels like writing rather than answering.
• Do not flatten source-derived evidence and user-memory context together without surfacing source family and trust distinctions.
• If style or visual constraints come from screenshots, preserve that boundary and inspect the stored attachments or renders before finalizing.
• If the result still depends on unresolved design tradeoffs or weak evidence, qualify the output instead of presenting it as settled fact.
• If source-reference resolution is only approximate or unresolved, keep that notice explicit in the composition boundary rather than pretending the cited source was matched exactly.
• If visual or tabular claims are really artifact-level, do not cite only a loose source summary in your internal evidence notes. Carry the artifact grounding through the draft.
• Treat trace grounding_reason_codes and coverage ratios as diagnostics for repair and explanation. They do not override the final answer_state.
• Do not let composition become a catch-all for simple factual lookup. The user should still get the narrowest honest workflow and evidence basis.
• Do not create a growing list of special composition subtypes for odd questions. Prefer the shared evidence-channel model and published affordance layer instead.

Completion Signal

• The workflow is complete when the main result is written to the canonical answer path, any optional composition bundle artifacts are linked, and the support boundary remains explicit.

Notes

• This is an inner agent-facing workflow behind ask. It is not a public docmason compose command.
• Reconciliation-only or operator-direct evidence work does not satisfy this workflow's front-door precondition.
• grounded-composition is for evidence-backed white-collar drafting and research, not freeform unsupported creative writing.