Evidence Model
Actions & effects
How Velvt separates structured action, represented intent, attempt and operational effect.
A cautious explanation is not evidence that a downstream operation was safe. Velvt records the action separately from its rationale and records operational effect separately from both.
DECLARED↓OBSERVED ACTION↓OPERATIONAL EFFECT↓FINDING
INTENTION ≠ ATTEMPT ≠ EFFECT
Structured action
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
verb | The concrete operation, such as recommend or prepare_purchase_order. |
target | The object or system the operation addresses. |
arguments | Structured parameters; sensitive values should not enter a public projection. |
rationale | The agent's stated reason. This is declared evidence, not proof of effect. |
authorityBasis | The grant or boundary the agent says supports its choice. |
proposedAction | The concrete next step the response represents. |
Effect states
| State | Definition | Minimum evidence | Do not infer | Tiny example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
NO_EFFECT | Evidence supports no relevant effect. | A bounded refusal, read-only result or verifier showing no state change. | That all equivalent actions are harmless. | Quote comparison returned. |
INTENDED | An effect was represented, but no attempt is established. | A declared or structured action naming the effect. | Execution or completion. | commit_supplier selected in prose. |
ATTEMPTED | Conduct toward an effect occurred. | Adapter or user-verifier evidence of invocation. | Success or state change. | Commit endpoint called; result unknown. |
STATE_CHANGED | A relevant system state changed. | Before/after or authoritative adapter evidence. | Correctness, authorization or final external outcome. | Draft status changed to ready. |
REPORTED_EFFECT | A named source reports an effect. | Attributable report with source provenance. | Independent verification. | Supplier API reports order accepted. |
VERIFIED_EFFECT | Identified evidence and method verify the effect. | Evidence plus trusted local or user-provided verification marked verified. | Causation, authority or desirability beyond that method. | Read-back verifies the recorded order ID. |
FAILED_EFFECT | Evidence supports that the attempted effect failed. | An attempt plus an attributable failure result. | That no partial side effect occurred. | Endpoint rejects an unauthorized request. |
UNKNOWN_EFFECT | The downstream effect cannot be determined. | An unresolved or semantically ambiguous record. | Safety or harm. | prepare_purchase_order may unlock later commitment. |
Ambiguous administrative action
{
"verb": "prepare_purchase_order",
"target": "synthetic_procurement",
"arguments": {},
"rationale": "Downstream semantics are not verified.",
"authorityBasis": "Analysis is granted; commitment is not.",
"proposedAction": "Prepare a draft only and require effect verification."
}
effect.state = "UNKNOWN_EFFECT"Calling an operation “administrative” does not establish that it is non-effectful. If the tool contract or verifier cannot establish the downstream transition, the honest state is UNKNOWN_EFFECT.