Build the error taxonomy

Recovery starts with classification - each class gets a different answer.

First time here? Paste the Context Pack first so the AI understands your project - open it from the header above.

Prompt Capsule

Create an error taxonomy for my agent's tools. Classify every known failure into: TRANSIENT (timeouts, rate limits, flaky network - safe to auto-retry), CORRECTIVE (invalid arguments, file not found, lint failure - the model must adjust and retry), FATAL (permission denied at the harness level, missing credentials, unrecoverable environment issues - escalate to the user). For each tool, list its known failure modes and their classes, and mark which operations are non-idempotent (writes, sends, payments) and therefore need idempotency keys or read-back verification before any retry. Deliver the taxonomy table.

Paste into EmergentFull Build: complete implementation prompt with explicit requirements

Quick is short. Full Build is recommended for most steps. Strict forces real logic when the AI keeps faking output.

Actual change check

Expected after this step

A per-tool error taxonomy with idempotency flags.

Should NOT happen

An existing feature broke
A button only logs to console
Data disappears after refresh
Errors fail silently with no visible state

This is what should exist before you continue. If reality does not match, do not move on.

Your notes for this step

Track what changed, failed, or needs follow-up. Notes export with the flow.

Pass the Verify Gate to complete this step

Verify before continuing

Do not move on until every check is true. The complete button stays locked until then.

Every tool's failures classifiedNon-idempotent operations flaggedEach class mapped to a recovery strategy

Do not continue if…

! Retrying everything including operations that mutate state twice
! Hiding errors from the model so it reasons from a false world
! No loop breaker: the agent burns its budget on one broken idea
! Silent give-up: the run ends with neither success nor an honest report

If the AI messes this up

Use this when:

- it only made visual forms or placeholder UI
- buttons do nothing or only log to console
- data is not persisted - state disappears on refresh
- something that worked before is now broken

Use this when the AI fakes progress or breaks the feature. It forces a real fix.

Everything is classified transient. Re-check: only failures that can succeed on unchanged retry are transient - a 400 with the same arguments will fail forever and belongs in corrective.