Part Five

Context Delivery Requirements

Agents can only act correctly if they receive the right context in the right form. This section specifies how public service systems must deliver context to agents — structured data, documentation, interaction patterns, and consent flows.

5.1 Structured Data Access

Agents require access to case data, reference data, and system state. This access must be formally structured through defined interfaces.

Data access requirements

Clearly defined schemas: Every data source an agent may access must publish a formal schema describing its structure, field definitions, data types, and update frequency.
Ownership declaration: Each data element must have a declared owner — the system, agency, or individual responsible for its accuracy and currency.
Sensitivity classification: Data must be classified by sensitivity level, with access controls that enforce need-to-know and purpose limitations appropriate to each level.
Consent linkage: Access to personal data must be linked to specific consent records. Agents must have a valid, current consent authorization covering the intended use before accessing personal data.
Freshness indicators: Every data element must carry metadata indicating when it was last updated, verified, or confirmed, so agents can assess currency.

5.2 Machine-Oriented Documentation

Agents need documentation designed for machine consumption — structured, parseable, and directly actionable.

Documentation requirements

Step sequences: Procedural documentation must be expressed as ordered sequences of discrete steps, with preconditions, actions, and postconditions for each step.
Common cases: Documentation must include the most frequent case patterns with expected inputs, processing paths, and outcomes.
Worked examples: Each action type and procedure must include concrete examples with sample inputs and expected outputs, covering both typical and edge cases.
Error guidance: For every defined error condition, documentation must specify the cause, the correct agent response, and the recovery path.
Decision trees: Complex policy logic must be represented as traversable decision structures.

5.3 Stable Interaction Patterns

Agent effectiveness depends on predictable, stable interaction patterns. Frequent changes to interfaces, schemas, or procedures create failure modes that harm the people agents serve.

Stability requirements

Predictable patterns: Interaction surfaces must follow consistent patterns across action types. Agents that learn one pattern should be able to predict the structure of others.
Reduced friction: Unnecessary complexity — redundant fields, inconsistent naming, ambiguous status codes — must be identified and eliminated.
Deprecation protocol: When interaction patterns change, the old pattern must remain available for a defined transition period with clear migration guidance.
Change notification: Agents and their operators must receive advance notice of interface changes, with sufficient lead time to adapt.
Backward compatibility: New versions of interaction surfaces should maintain backward compatibility wherever possible, using versioned endpoints rather than breaking changes.

Consent is a structured flow that must be explicit, informed, scoped, and recorded.

Consent flow requirements

Explicit consent: The person must affirmatively authorize the agent to act on their behalf. Implicit consent, inferred consent, or opt-out models are insufficient for public service interactions.
Identity confirmation: Before any agent action, the identity of the person on whose behalf the agent acts must be confirmed through defined verification procedures.
Scope limitation: Consent must specify what actions the agent is authorized to take, what data it may access, and for what duration. Open-ended authorizations are invalid.
Revocation mechanism: The person must be able to revoke consent at any time, through any channel. Revocation takes effect immediately for all future actions.
Complete record: Every consent grant, modification, and revocation must be recorded with timestamps, the specific scope authorized, and the identity verification method used.