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Principle 5delegation

Replace implied magic with clear mental models

The product should help users understand what the system can do, what it is currently doing, what it cannot do, and what conditions govern its behaviour.

Key Facts

Cluster
delegation
Primary risk
Users attribute a level of agency, reliability, or competence that the system does not in fact possess.
Related examples
6 library examples
Doctrine library
Internal doctrine reference
Why does this principle matter?

Trust is strengthened when users can form accurate expectations. Systems that appear intelligent but remain poorly bounded create confusion, misuse, and misplaced reliance.

Describe capabilities in plain and specific terms.
Distinguish between suggestion, execution, and automation.
Make permissions, dependencies, and limitations explicit.
Indicate when action requires approval and when it proceeds independently.
What failure does this principle prevent?

Users attribute a level of agency, reliability, or competence that the system does not in fact possess.

AI as interface embellishment: A conventional product is given a text input and labelled intelligent, without any meaningful change in operational model.
Simulated autonomy: The system appears autonomous in language or presentation but cannot act with meaningful independence.
Opaque execution: Work occurs in the background without adequate status, accountability, or recoverability.
How do I apply this in practice?

The implementation library contains inspectable, runnable examples that show this principle applied in real agentic product code. Study the source paths, library choices, and runtime assumptions — not just the pattern name.

Implementation example

Level 1: Augmented LLM — Single API Call

One model call with structured output, system prompt, and context. No loops, no tools. (script · advanced)

Inspect implementation

Implementation example

Level 2: Prompt Chains & Routing — Deterministic DAGs

Multiple LLM calls in a fixed sequence. Code controls the flow, not the model. (script · advanced)

Inspect implementation

Implementation example

Level 3: Tool-Calling Agent — Scoped Autonomy

The agent decides which tools to call and in what order, but only within a fixed set of well-defined capabilities. (script · advanced)

Inspect implementation

Related examples