switchyard_libsy/algorithms/advisor_gate.rs
1// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
2// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
3
4//! Executor gated by a once-per-session advisor review.
5//!
6//! The executor answers every client-visible turn. Turns with tool calls pass
7//! through unreviewed; the first *terminal* turn — no tool calls (or a text
8//! match under the `pattern` trigger) — is buffered and shown to a stronger
9//! advisor model together with the full transcript. `APPROVE` releases the
10//! buffered turn unchanged; `REDO` appends the discarded turn's text and the
11//! advisor's plan as feedback, then re-invokes the executor so it keeps
12//! working. Each budget scope (one benchmark evaluation, one session, or the
13//! whole instance — see [`budget::budget_scope`]) is reviewed at most
14//! `max_reviews` times; afterwards every call is a pure passthrough.
15//!
16//! This design is a near-superset of solo executor behavior: identical until
17//! the executor first claims to be done, plus one quality gate that catches
18//! premature convergence. Front-loading advice was measured to suppress the
19//! executor's own test-and-iterate loop, so no advice is injected up front.
20//!
21//! Failure posture: executor errors always propagate (including
22//! `ContextWindowExceeded`, which hosts map to a client-visible 400 so agent
23//! harnesses can compact). Advisor errors honor `fail_open` — the buffered
24//! turn passes through as an implicit APPROVE — refund the consumed review,
25//! and count toward a per-scope failure cap that stops consulting a down
26//! advisor entirely.
27//!
28//! Structure: [`AdvisorGate`] is a thin orchestrator — the [`signals`]
29//! processor folds each event's facts into per-turn state, the [`trigger`]
30//! classifier reads them after the executor call, and the [`budget`] ledger
31//! holds the only mutable state.
32
33use std::sync::Arc;
34use std::time::Instant;
35
36use switchyard_protocol::{
37 Category, ContentBlock, InstructionBlock, LlmRequest, Message, ModelId, OutputParams, Request,
38 Role, SamplingParams,
39};
40
41use crate::core::algorithm::{Algorithm, Driver, RoutingOutcome};
42use crate::core::processor::{Event, Processor};
43use crate::{LibsyError, Result};
44
45mod budget;
46mod signals;
47mod telemetry;
48#[cfg(test)]
49mod tests;
50mod transcript;
51mod trigger;
52mod turn;
53
54use super::util::buffered_response::{BufferedResponse, buffer_response};
55use super::util::robustness::safe_error_summary;
56use budget::{ReviewBudget, ScopeKey, budget_scope, stall_key};
57use signals::{GateSignalProcessor, GateSignals};
58use telemetry::{
59 ReviewAudit, emit_discarded_audit, emit_review_audit, record_consult_failure, record_discarded,
60 record_review,
61};
62use transcript::{VERDICT_PATTERN, Verdict, advisor_reply_text, parse_verdict, review_transcript};
63use trigger::TriggerClassifier;
64#[cfg(test)]
65use turn::has_tool_use;
66use turn::{reasoning_text, visible_text};
67
68/// APPROVE/REDO reviewer contract sent as the advisor's system prompt.
69pub const REVIEWER_SYSTEM_PROMPT: &str =
70 include_str!("../prompts/advisor-gate/reviewer-system-prompt.md");
71
72/// Prepended to the advisor's REDO plan when it is fed back as a user turn,
73/// instructing the executor to continue rather than stop.
74pub const REDO_FEEDBACK_PREFIX: &str = concat!(
75 include_str!("../prompts/advisor-gate/redo-feedback-prefix.md"),
76 "\n"
77);
78
79/// Labels the executor's internal reasoning when a turn has no visible text,
80/// so the advisor still has evidence to review (reasoning models on vLLM/NIM
81/// can emit turns whose only output is reasoning).
82const REASONING_TAIL_LABEL: &str =
83 "(the executor produced no visible text this turn; its internal reasoning follows)\n";
84/// REDO echo when the discarded turn had neither text nor reasoning; strict
85/// endpoints (Anthropic) reject empty text blocks, so never echo "".
86const EMPTY_ECHO_PLACEHOLDER: &str = "(the executor produced no output this turn)";
87/// Benchmark harnesses stamp every request of one evaluation — sub-agents
88/// included — with this header, so it is the review budget's first-choice
89/// scope: "reviews for *this* task" survives gateways shared by many tasks.
90const BENCH_SESSION_HEADER: &str = "proxy_x_session_id";
91
92/// How the gate decides a buffered executor turn is terminal.
93#[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq)]
94pub enum GateTrigger {
95 /// First turn without tool calls (subject to `gate_min_tool_results`).
96 NoToolCall,
97 /// First turn whose visible text matches this regex (searched, not anchored) —
98 /// for text-protocol harnesses where every turn lacks tool calls and
99 /// completion is declared with a textual marker instead.
100 Pattern(String),
101}
102
103/// Gate knobs; defaults mirror the benchmarked Python advisor configuration.
104#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
105pub struct AdvisorGateConfig {
106 /// System prompt for the advisor's review call; states the APPROVE/REDO contract.
107 pub reviewer_system_prompt: String,
108 /// Prepended to the advisor's REDO plan when fed back to the executor.
109 pub redo_feedback_prefix: String,
110 /// What fires the review.
111 pub gate_trigger: GateTrigger,
112 /// Reviews allowed per budget scope. 1 keeps the original once-per-task
113 /// gate; higher values re-review later terminal turns, making the gate a
114 /// sequential best-of-(N+1) with the advisor as judge.
115 pub max_reviews: u32,
116 /// When > 0, additionally review (once per conversation, consuming budget)
117 /// the first request already carrying at least this many assistant turns —
118 /// a mid-task checkpoint for executors that grind without declaring
119 /// completion. 0 disables.
120 pub gate_stall_turns: u32,
121 /// For the `no_tool_call` trigger: only review once the conversation
122 /// carries at least this many tool results, skipping early commentary
123 /// turns on chatty harnesses. 0 reviews from the first terminal turn.
124 pub gate_min_tool_results: u32,
125 /// Cap on the advisor's output per consult.
126 pub advisor_max_tokens: u64,
127 /// Sampling temperature for the consult; `None` omits the field on the wire.
128 pub advisor_temperature: Option<f64>,
129 /// Cap on the serialized transcript handed to the advisor; the middle of
130 /// an over-cap conversation is dropped (task head + recent tail survive).
131 pub transcript_max_chars: usize,
132 /// When true (default), an advisor failure degrades to APPROVE; when
133 /// false, it propagates as the turn's error.
134 pub fail_open: bool,
135}
136
137impl Default for AdvisorGateConfig {
138 fn default() -> Self {
139 Self {
140 reviewer_system_prompt: REVIEWER_SYSTEM_PROMPT.to_string(),
141 redo_feedback_prefix: REDO_FEEDBACK_PREFIX.to_string(),
142 gate_trigger: GateTrigger::NoToolCall,
143 max_reviews: 1,
144 gate_stall_turns: 0,
145 gate_min_tool_results: 0,
146 advisor_max_tokens: 2048,
147 advisor_temperature: None,
148 transcript_max_chars: 200_000,
149 fail_open: true,
150 }
151 }
152}
153
154/// Advisor review gate: executor turns pass through until the first terminal
155/// turn, which a stronger advisor reviews once per scope budget (APPROVE
156/// releases it, REDO feeds the plan back and re-invokes the executor).
157pub struct AdvisorGate {
158 config: AdvisorGateConfig,
159 /// Folds request- and response-side facts into the per-turn [`GateSignals`].
160 signals: GateSignalProcessor,
161 /// Decides, from the signals, whether the buffered turn warrants review.
162 trigger: TriggerClassifier,
163 /// Reserve/refund review ledger and stall latch — the gate's only mutable state.
164 budget: ReviewBudget,
165 verdict_re: regex::Regex,
166}
167
168impl AdvisorGate {
169 /// Validates the config. Models are supplied when each request runs.
170 pub fn new(config: AdvisorGateConfig) -> Result<Self> {
171 if config.max_reviews < 1 {
172 return Err(algorithm_error("max_reviews must be at least 1"));
173 }
174 if config.advisor_max_tokens < 1 {
175 return Err(algorithm_error("advisor_max_tokens must be at least 1"));
176 }
177 if config.transcript_max_chars < 256 {
178 return Err(algorithm_error("transcript_max_chars must be at least 256"));
179 }
180 let trigger = TriggerClassifier::new(&config)?;
181 let verdict_re = regex::Regex::new(VERDICT_PATTERN).map_err(|error| {
182 algorithm_error(format!("verdict pattern failed to compile: {error}"))
183 })?;
184 let budget = ReviewBudget::new(config.max_reviews);
185 Ok(Self {
186 config,
187 signals: GateSignalProcessor,
188 trigger,
189 budget,
190 verdict_re,
191 })
192 }
193
194 // ── Gate flow ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
195
196 async fn route_inner(
197 &self,
198 driver: &Driver,
199 request: Request,
200 scope: &ScopeKey,
201 ) -> Result<RoutingOutcome> {
202 let executor_models = driver.models_for(&Category::Efficient).to_vec();
203 let executor = executor_models
204 .first()
205 .ok_or_else(|| LibsyError::AlgorithmError {
206 message: "no models available for category Efficient".to_string(),
207 })?;
208
209 // Spent budget (or failure cap): pure passthrough — live stream,
210 // verbatim preserved-body replay, zero buffering. Executor errors
211 // (including ContextWindowExceeded) propagate for the host's
212 // client-visible mapping.
213 if self.budget.check_exhausted(scope) {
214 return Ok(RoutingOutcome::route_to(
215 executor.clone(),
216 executor_models[1..].to_vec(),
217 request,
218 ));
219 }
220
221 // Request-side signals fold in before the executor runs.
222 let mut request = request;
223 let mut signals = GateSignals::default();
224 self.signals
225 .process(
226 &mut signals,
227 Event::Request {
228 request: &mut request,
229 driver,
230 },
231 )
232 .await?;
233
234 // Gated phase: generate the turn once, fully buffered, so the gate
235 // can inspect it before the client sees anything.
236 let response = driver
237 .call_model(request.clone(), executor_models.clone())
238 .await?;
239 let served_executor = response
240 .served_model()
241 .cloned()
242 .unwrap_or_else(|| executor.clone());
243 let turn = buffer_response(served_executor.as_str(), response).await?;
244
245 // Response-side signals fold in after it: the terminal turn never
246 // appears on a later request, so the trigger runs on this event.
247 self.signals
248 .process(&mut signals, Event::ModelResponse(&turn.agg))
249 .await?;
250
251 let decision = self.trigger.classify(&signals);
252 // The stall checkpoint fires once per conversation regardless of the
253 // turn's shape. Only a stall with no simultaneous trigger latches
254 // (atomically — one winner per conversation). The latch is provisional
255 // until a review completes: a refunded consult or a spent budget
256 // re-arms it so a later eligible turn is reviewed instead of silently
257 // passing through.
258 let stall_key = stall_key(&request);
259 let stall = decision.fired.is_none()
260 && decision.stalled
261 && self.budget.try_mark_stall_fired(stall_key);
262 if decision.fired.is_none() && !stall {
263 return Ok(RoutingOutcome::answered(
264 served_executor.clone(),
265 request,
266 turn.into_response(),
267 ));
268 }
269 if !self.budget.try_reserve(scope) {
270 if stall {
271 self.budget.clear_stall_fired(stall_key);
272 }
273 return Ok(RoutingOutcome::answered(
274 served_executor.clone(),
275 request,
276 turn.into_response(),
277 ));
278 }
279
280 let trigger_label = decision.fired.unwrap_or("stall");
281 let review_tail = visible_text(&turn.agg).or_else(|| {
282 reasoning_text(&turn.agg).map(|reasoning| format!("{REASONING_TAIL_LABEL}{reasoning}"))
283 });
284 match self
285 .consult(driver, &request, review_tail.as_deref(), trigger_label)
286 .await
287 {
288 Ok(ConsultOutcome::Approve) => {
289 driver.set_evidence(serde_json::json!({
290 "source": "advisor",
291 "verdict": "approve",
292 "trigger": trigger_label,
293 }));
294 Ok(RoutingOutcome::answered(
295 served_executor.clone(),
296 request,
297 turn.into_response(),
298 ))
299 }
300 Ok(ConsultOutcome::Redo { plan }) => {
301 driver.set_evidence(serde_json::json!({
302 "source": "advisor",
303 "verdict": "redo",
304 "trigger": trigger_label,
305 }));
306 Ok(self.redo(
307 executor,
308 &executor_models[1..],
309 &served_executor,
310 request,
311 turn,
312 &plan,
313 ))
314 }
315 Ok(ConsultOutcome::Failed { reason }) => {
316 self.budget.refund_failure(scope);
317 if stall {
318 self.budget.clear_stall_fired(stall_key);
319 }
320 driver.set_evidence(serde_json::json!({
321 "source": "advisor",
322 "verdict": "fail_open",
323 "trigger": trigger_label,
324 "reason_code": reason,
325 }));
326 Ok(RoutingOutcome::answered(
327 served_executor,
328 request,
329 turn.into_response(),
330 ))
331 }
332 Err(error) => {
333 self.budget.refund_failure(scope);
334 if stall {
335 self.budget.clear_stall_fired(stall_key);
336 }
337 Err(error)
338 }
339 }
340 }
341
342 /// REDO: the client never sees the gated turn. Its text (or reasoning) is
343 /// echoed as an assistant message, the advisor's plan follows as user
344 /// feedback, and the executor continues as a pure passthrough call.
345 fn redo(
346 &self,
347 executor: &ModelId,
348 executor_fallbacks: &[ModelId],
349 served_executor: &ModelId,
350 request: Request,
351 turn: BufferedResponse,
352 plan: &str,
353 ) -> RoutingOutcome {
354 record_discarded(&turn.agg.usage);
355 emit_discarded_audit(served_executor.as_str(), &turn.agg.usage);
356 let echo = visible_text(&turn.agg)
357 .or_else(|| reasoning_text(&turn.agg))
358 .unwrap_or_else(|| EMPTY_ECHO_PLACEHOLDER.to_string());
359 let mut redo = request;
360 redo.llm_request
361 .messages
362 .push(Message::text(Role::Assistant, echo));
363 redo.llm_request.messages.push(Message::text(
364 Role::User,
365 format!("{}{}", self.config.redo_feedback_prefix, plan),
366 ));
367 // Mandatory after any message mutation: codecs otherwise replay the
368 // preserved pre-surgery body verbatim and the feedback never reaches
369 // the executor.
370 crate::algorithms::util::prompts::drop_exact_replay(&mut redo);
371 RoutingOutcome::route_to(executor.clone(), executor_fallbacks.to_vec(), redo)
372 }
373
374 /// Consults the advisor over the buffered transcript and parses the
375 /// verdict. `Ok(Failed)` covers fail-open errors and unparseable replies
376 /// (the caller refunds); fail-closed errors return `Err`.
377 async fn consult(
378 &self,
379 driver: &Driver,
380 base: &Request,
381 review_tail: Option<&str>,
382 trigger: &'static str,
383 ) -> Result<ConsultOutcome> {
384 // The advisor reviews the FULL transcript: system/developer content is
385 // normalized out of `messages` into `instructions`, so prepend it back
386 // as leading messages (identical {role, content} shape) — the task
387 // constraints the verdict must check against usually live there.
388 let transcript_messages: Vec<Message> = base
389 .llm_request
390 .instructions
391 .iter()
392 .map(|block| Message {
393 role: block.role,
394 content: block.content.clone(),
395 })
396 .chain(base.llm_request.messages.iter().cloned())
397 .collect();
398 let transcript = review_transcript(
399 &transcript_messages,
400 review_tail,
401 self.config.transcript_max_chars,
402 );
403 let consult_request = self.build_consult_request(base, transcript);
404 let started = Instant::now();
405 // An unresolvable advisor is treated like any other consult failure, so
406 // fail_open still returns the buffered executor turn to the client.
407 let reply = match driver.first_model_for(&Category::Judge) {
408 Ok(advisor) => {
409 let advisor = advisor.clone();
410 let advisor_models = driver.models_for(&Category::Judge).to_vec();
411 match driver.call_model(consult_request, advisor_models).await {
412 Ok(response) => {
413 let served_advisor = response
414 .served_model()
415 .cloned()
416 .unwrap_or_else(|| advisor.clone());
417 response
418 .llm_response
419 .into_agg()
420 .await
421 .map_err(|source| LibsyError::client_call(served_advisor, source))
422 }
423 Err(error) => Err(error),
424 }
425 }
426 Err(error) => Err(error),
427 };
428 let latency_ms = started.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 1000.0;
429 let agg = match reply {
430 Ok(agg) => agg,
431 Err(error) => {
432 let reason = crate::algorithms::util::llm_judge::libsy_error_reason(&error);
433 record_consult_failure(reason);
434 if !self.config.fail_open {
435 // Surface as an algorithm failure (5xx), never as the
436 // advisor's own client error: a typed ContextWindowExceeded
437 // from the consult would otherwise reach the client as 400
438 // context_length_exceeded and trigger compaction of a
439 // healthy conversation.
440 return Err(algorithm_error(format!(
441 "advisor consult failed (fail_open = false): {error}"
442 )));
443 }
444 // An upstream error's Display can quote request content back,
445 // so only its redacted summary reaches logs or the audit trail.
446 let summary = safe_error_summary(&error);
447 tracing::warn!(
448 target: "libsy",
449 error = %summary,
450 "advisor gate: consult failed; passing the turn through (fail open)"
451 );
452 emit_review_audit(ReviewAudit {
453 verdict: "APPROVE",
454 error: Some(summary),
455 latency_ms,
456 reply_head: None,
457 usage: None,
458 });
459 return Ok(ConsultOutcome::Failed { reason });
460 }
461 };
462 let reply_text = advisor_reply_text(&agg);
463 let reply_head: String = reply_text.chars().take(160).collect();
464 match parse_verdict(&self.verdict_re, &reply_text) {
465 Some(Verdict::Approve) => {
466 record_review("approve", trigger);
467 emit_review_audit(ReviewAudit {
468 verdict: "APPROVE",
469 error: None,
470 latency_ms,
471 reply_head: Some(reply_head),
472 usage: Some(&agg.usage),
473 });
474 Ok(ConsultOutcome::Approve)
475 }
476 Some(Verdict::Redo { plan }) => {
477 record_review("redo", trigger);
478 emit_review_audit(ReviewAudit {
479 verdict: "REDO",
480 error: None,
481 latency_ms,
482 reply_head: Some(reply_head),
483 usage: Some(&agg.usage),
484 });
485 Ok(ConsultOutcome::Redo { plan })
486 }
487 None => {
488 // The advisor spent real tokens on a reply the gate cannot
489 // act on; the observer already recorded them. Refunded by
490 // the caller so a flaky advisor cannot burn the budget.
491 record_review("unparseable", trigger);
492 emit_review_audit(ReviewAudit {
493 verdict: "UNPARSEABLE",
494 error: None,
495 latency_ms,
496 reply_head: Some(reply_head),
497 usage: Some(&agg.usage),
498 });
499 Ok(ConsultOutcome::Failed {
500 reason: "parse_error",
501 })
502 }
503 }
504 }
505
506 /// A fresh, buffered, tool-free request carrying the reviewer contract and
507 /// the serialized transcript; metadata is kept for session correlation.
508 fn build_consult_request(&self, base: &Request, transcript: String) -> Request {
509 Request {
510 llm_request: LlmRequest {
511 model: base.llm_request.model.clone(),
512 instructions: vec![InstructionBlock {
513 role: Role::System,
514 content: vec![ContentBlock::Text {
515 text: self.config.reviewer_system_prompt.clone(),
516 }],
517 }],
518 messages: vec![Message::text(Role::User, transcript)],
519 sampling: SamplingParams {
520 temperature: self.config.advisor_temperature,
521 ..SamplingParams::default()
522 },
523 output: OutputParams {
524 max_output_tokens: Some(self.config.advisor_max_tokens),
525 response_format: None,
526 },
527 ..LlmRequest::default()
528 },
529 raw_request: None,
530 metadata: base.metadata.clone(),
531 }
532 }
533}
534
535#[async_trait::async_trait]
536impl Algorithm for AdvisorGate {
537 fn name(&self) -> &str {
538 "advisor_gate"
539 }
540
541 async fn route(self: Arc<Self>, driver: Driver, request: Request) -> Result<RoutingOutcome> {
542 let scope = budget_scope(&request);
543 let session_final = request
544 .metadata
545 .as_ref()
546 .and_then(|metadata| metadata.session_final)
547 == Some(true);
548 let result = self.route_inner(&driver, request, &scope).await;
549 if session_final {
550 self.budget.evict_scope(&scope);
551 }
552 result
553 }
554}
555
556/// Outcome of one consult; `Failed` = fail-open error or unparseable reply.
557enum ConsultOutcome {
558 Approve,
559 Redo { plan: String },
560 Failed { reason: &'static str },
561}
562
563fn algorithm_error(message: impl Into<String>) -> LibsyError {
564 LibsyError::AlgorithmError {
565 message: message.into(),
566 }
567}