agentic-reflection

name	agentic-reflection
description	Reflection pattern for quality-critical outputs using generate-critique-refine cycles. Requires clear evaluation criteria and acceptable latency.

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name: "agentic-reflection" description: "Reflection pattern for quality-critical outputs. Use generate-critique-refine cycles when evaluation criteria are clear and error cost justifies extra latency."

Agentic Reflection Pattern

[!TIP] TL;DR: Use this pattern when output quality matters more than response speed, AND evaluation criteria are clear. The agent generates, critiques, and refines until quality thresholds are met. Key Principle: "Critic independence is critical. If the critic mirrors the generator too closely, it tends to agree rather than evaluate."

Pattern Overview

The reflection pattern is grounded in the expectation that first-pass outputs are often incomplete or flawed, and that iterative self-critique and refinement improves final quality enough to justify the added cost.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              REFLECTION CYCLE                        │
│                                                      │
│  ┌─────────┐    ┌─────────┐    ┌─────────┐         │
│  │ Generate│───▶│ Critique│───▶│ Refine  │         │
│  │ "First │    │ "What's │    │ "Fixed  │         │
│  │ draft" │    │ wrong?" │    │ version"│         │
│  └─────────┘    └─────────┘    └─────────┘         │
│       │              │              │               │
│       ◀──────────────┴──────────────┘               │
│              (iterate until quality met)            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Decision Gate

When to use: Apply this pattern when:

• Question 4 = YES: Output quality matters more than response speed
• Question 4 = YES: Clear quality criteria exist for evaluation

BOTH conditions must be met.

Two Required Conditions

Condition 1: Clear Evaluation Criteria

Good Criteria	Bad Criteria
"Valid SQL query that returns expected columns"	"Good code"
"Contract with all required fields filled"	"Professional document"
"Passes linting + unit tests + integration tests"	"Clean output"
"Mathematically equivalent to specification"	"Correct answer"

Without clear criteria, the critic produces vague or misleading feedback.

Condition 2: High Error Cost

High Error Cost (use reflection)	Low Error Cost (skip reflection)
Deployed production code	Development exploration
Client-facing documents	Internal scratchpads
Regulatory submissions	Drafts for internal review
Financial transactions	High-throughput batch processing

Critical Design: Critic Independence

This is the most important design choice in reflection patterns:

❌ Weak Reflection (Low Independence)

Generator: GPT-4
Critic: Same GPT-4, slightly different prompt
→ Tendency: Agree rather than evaluate
→ Result: Minimal improvement, wasted cycles

✅ Strong Reflection (High Independence)

Generator: GPT-4
Critic: Different model (e.g., Claude), OR
        Same model but different framing/context, OR
        Rule-based validator for specific criteria

→ Result: Genuine evaluation, meaningful improvement

Reflection Loop Design

MAX_ITERATIONS = 3  # Prevent infinite loops

For iteration in 1..MAX_ITERATIONS:
    1. Generate output
    2. Evaluate against criteria
    3. If PASSED → return output
    4. If FAILED → generate critique
    5. Refine based on critique
    6. Loop

If MAX_ITERATIONS reached without PASS:
    → return best effort OR escalate to human

Failure Modes

Failure Mode 1: No Improvement

Signal	Cause	Fix
Critique cycles don't improve output	Evaluation criteria unclear	Define sharper, verifiable criteria
Critique cycles don't improve output	Critic too aligned with generator	Use different model/framing for critic
Same errors persist	Critique not actionable	Make critique specific to criteria

Failure Mode 2: Infinite Loop

Signal	Cause	Fix
Cycles continue without end	No stopping condition	Define max iterations
Quality doesn't improve	Criteria not achievable	Revise criteria or accept current state

Fix Template

def reflection_loop(generator, critic, criteria, max_iterations=3):
    best_output = None
    best_score = -1
    
    for i in range(max_iterations):
        output = generator.generate()
        score = critic.evaluate(output, criteria)
        
        if score > best_score:
            best_output = output
            best_score = score
        
        if score >= threshold:
            return output  # Quality met
        
        critique = critic.critique(output, criteria)
        generator.refine(critique)
    
    return best_output  # Best effort after max iterations

Reflection Combinations

Reflection adds well to other patterns:

Base Pattern	+ Reflection	Use When
ReAct	+ Quality at each step	Quality critical at each stage
Planning	+ Checkpoint validation	Quality gates between stages
Multi-Agent	+ Specialist critique	Domain-specific quality checks

AGEM Integration

Native Tools

• run_agem_cycle — Generation phase
• get_cohomology — Check generator/critic alignment (should be LOW for independence)
• spawn_agem_agent — Spawn independent critic agent

MCP Server Usage

• advanced-reasoning — Deep critique reasoning
• mcp-logic — Formal verification of generated outputs
• hipai-montague — Track belief evolution through refinement
• conscience-servitor — Ethical evaluation for sensitive outputs

Workflow Template

1. Define quality criteria (must be verifiable)
2. Set max reflection iterations (typically 2-3)
3. Initialize generator and critic (ensure independence)
4. LOOP:
   a. Generate output
   b. Evaluate against criteria
   c. If PASSED → return
   d. If FAILED → critique
   e. Refine generator based on critique
   f. If max iterations → return best effort

Quick-Start Template

## Reflection Task Definition

**Task**: [What needs to be generated]
**Quality Matters**: [YES/NO]
**Speed Matters**: [YES/NO - if YES, don't use reflection]
**Latency Acceptable**: [YES/NO]

### Quality Criteria (verifiable):
1. [Criterion 1] - [how to verify]
2. [Criterion 2] - [how to verify]
3. [Criterion N] - [how to verify]

### Generator: [model/prompt]
### Critic: [different model/framing for independence]

### Max Iterations: [N]
### Pass Threshold: [score/value]

### Escalation Triggers:
- [Max iterations reached] → human review OR accept best effort
- [Criteria impossible to meet] → revise criteria

Decision Summary

Question	Answer	Use Reflection?
Quality matters more than speed?	YES	✓
Clear evaluation criteria exist?	YES	✓
Both conditions met?	YES	→ Use Reflection
Either condition NO?	NO	→ Skip Reflection

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See Also

• agentic-react — Often the generator's base pattern
• agentic-planner — Checkpoint reflection between stages
• agentic-multiagent — Specialist critics for domain quality