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name: classifier kind: function version: 0.15.0

Classifier

Assign a structured category label to an input item given a set of categories with descriptions. Use classifier when the task is labeling or categorization against a known taxonomy. Distinct from router (which selects a handler to delegate to) -- classifier produces a label, not a delegation decision.

Description

Assign a category label to an input given a defined category set.

Metadata

• version: 0.1.0

Parameters

• item: the thing to classify
• categories: the category set, each with a description of what belongs in it
• rules: (optional) disambiguation rules for edge cases where categories overlap

Returns

• classification: a structured result containing:
  • category: the selected category name
  • confidence: a score from 0 to 1 where 0.5 means genuine uncertainty, not "probably"
  • reasoning: which features of the item matched which category description
• the returned classification is guaranteed to hold: when the item fits multiple categories, the best fit is returned with reasoning about why alternatives were rejected; when the item fits no category, category is "uncategorized" with reasoning explaining why no category matched.

Errors

• empty-categories: the category set is empty or contains no usable descriptions
• ambiguous-item: the item contains insufficient information to distinguish between two or more categories even after applying disambiguation rules

Strategies

• when categories overlap: apply disambiguation rules first; if none exist, prefer the more specific category over the general one
• when confidence is low: say so in the score rather than inflating confidence to avoid appearing uncertain
• when the item is complex: decompose it into features and match each feature against category descriptions independently before synthesizing a verdict

Notes

Classifier is a pure labeling function. It does not know what the classification will be used for. It does not route, delegate, or act on the result. For selecting a handler to delegate work to, use router. For evaluating quality, use critic. For checking formal correctness, use verifier.