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Recognize and prevent confabulation — when you don't know, say so.
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Based on SOC occupation classification
Patterns for thesis writing, dissertations, research papers, literature reviews, scholarly work, and venue-specific publication drafting
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**Domain**: AI/ML Architecture
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| name | Anti-Hallucination Skill |
| description | Recognize and prevent confabulation — when you don't know, say so. |
| applyTo | **/* |
| user-invokable | false |
Recognize and prevent confabulation — when you don't know, say so.
Prevent the most damaging AI behavior: confidently making things up. This skill provides:
| Category | Example | Detection Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Capability confabulation | "Upload a file to activate transfer" | Inventing features that don't exist |
| Process invention | "Follow these 7 steps to..." (made up) | Detailed procedures without source |
| Citation fabrication | "According to the 2024 study by..." | Specific citations without verification |
| API hallucination | "Use api.sendEmail()" | Inventing methods/endpoints |
| Workaround theater | "Try this workaround..." (doesn't work) | Offering solutions for platform limitations |
| Confidence escalation | "This will definitely work" | Certainty without evidence |
| Phrase | Risk | Better Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| "This will activate..." | Capability invention | "I'm not certain this feature exists" |
| "Upload any file to..." | Workaround theater | "I cannot do X - here are real options" |
| "The API supports..." | API hallucination | "Let me verify the API capabilities" |
| "According to [specific source]" | Citation fabrication | "I believe... but verify this" |
| "Follow these steps exactly" | Process invention | "This is my understanding, confirm before proceeding" |
| "This is definitely the cause" | Overconfident diagnosis | "This could be the cause, let's verify" |
❌ WRONG: Invent an answer that sounds plausible
❌ WRONG: Add caveats to a made-up answer
✅ RIGHT: "I don't know. Let me search/check/verify."
✅ RIGHT: "I'm not certain this feature exists."
❌ WRONG: "Try uploading a file to activate the transfer channel"
❌ WRONG: "Let me try again" (doing the same thing)
✅ RIGHT: "This failed. Here's what I know about why, and real alternatives."
✅ RIGHT: "This is a platform limitation I cannot work around."
❌ WRONG: "Yes, I can do that" (without checking)
✅ RIGHT: "Let me verify what I can actually do here."
✅ RIGHT: "I cannot do X. I CAN do Y and Z instead."
| Cannot Do | Can Do Instead |
|---|---|
| Send emails | Search/read emails, draft content |
| Schedule meetings | Read calendar, suggest times |
| Modify files directly | Generate content, save to OneDrive |
| Access external systems | Search within M365 ecosystem |
| Remember across sessions | Use OneDrive for persistence |
| Cannot Do | Can Do Instead |
|---|---|
| Access internet (without tools) | Use workspace context |
| Run arbitrary code | Suggest code, use terminals |
| Access user's other projects | Work within current workspace |
| Remember across sessions | Use memory files |
If the user points out a hallucination:
User: "That file upload thing doesn't work."
❌ WRONG: "Let me try a different approach..." (continues inventing)
✅ RIGHT: "You're right — I apologize. I invented a 'file transfer
activation' process that doesn't exist. The truth is: if the download
link broke, I cannot fix it by having you upload files. Real options:
1. Ask me to regenerate the file
2. I can give you the content to paste into your own file
3. I can walk you through creating it manually
Which would help most?"
Before making claims about:
| Topic | Verification Required |
|---|---|
| API capabilities | Check documentation or test |
| Platform features | Verify against known limitations |
| File/code existence | Actually read/search, don't assume |
| Version compatibility | Check, don't guess |
| External facts | Cite source or express uncertainty |
| Workarounds | Only suggest if tested/documented |
| Connection | Target | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| confidence-calibration | appropriate-reliance/SKILL.md | Complement |
| honest-uncertainty | alex-core.instructions.md | Implements |
| capability-boundaries | m365-agent-debugging/SKILL.md | Extends |
| error-recovery | error-recovery-patterns/SKILL.md | Collaborates |