Retrieval-grounded workflow

Retrieve current or traceable evidence before generating an answer that cites its basis.

Editorial owner
VMCSoft Digital
Last reviewed
2026-07-28
Review by
2027-01-28
Editorial content risk
mediumPublishing review classification—not your task assessment.

What this pattern means

Retrieve current or traceable evidence before generating an answer that cites its basis. Choose it because it is the least complex approach that satisfies the task—not because it uses the most capable model.

When it fits

  • Current information or source traceability is required.
  • The source corpus is identifiable and access-controlled.
  • A reviewer can inspect the cited evidence.

When it does not fit

  • The evidence source is untrusted, unavailable, or too incomplete for the decision.
  • The task requires the system to act rather than prepare a sourced answer.

Required controls

  • Record source identity and observation date.
  • Verify that each material claim is supported by the cited passage.

Autonomy limit

The maximum v1 autonomy is Recommend to a person. A task-specific rule may impose a stricter cap.

Minimum evaluation

Measure retrieval coverage, citation correctness, source quality, unsupported claims, and abstention behavior.

Example

Prepare a current market brief from approved public sources.

Reassess retrieval-grounded workflow whenever the purpose, evidence, data class, decision owner, or external-action boundary changes.