M.I.M.I.R - Multi-agent Intelligent Memory & Insight Repository

# Task Failure Analysis: task-1.1 (Documentation Inventory) **Date**: 2025-10-20 **Task**: Inventory Documentation/Research Files **Final Status**: FAILED after 2 attempts (70/100 final QC score) --- ## Executive Summary Task-1.1 failed QC verification after 2 attempts despite producing a comprehensive inventory. **The failure was NOT a prompting issue** but rather a **task specification problem** combined with **worker agent limitations**. Improved prompting would have had **minimal impact**; the root cause requires **task decomposition** and **tooling improvements**. --- ## Comparison: Success vs. Failure ### ✅ SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT (todo-8-1760920989155) - **QC Score**: 98/100 (PASS) - **Tool Calls**: Not recorded (likely ~10) - **Duration**: 58.4 seconds - **Attempt Number**: 1 (first try succeeded) - **Worker Output Format**: Structured markdown with **categorized sections** - **Approach**: - Used folder-based grouping (`docs/agents/`, `docs/research/`, etc.) - Provided **descriptive summaries** for each file - Clear hierarchy and organization - **No duplicate entries** **QC Feedback**: > "The worker output provides a clear, accurate, and comprehensive inventory of documentation and research files, with correct file locations and summaries. No hallucinations, fabricated content, or technical inaccuracies were found. Minor improvement could be made by explicitly listing all files in `docs/results/`." **Key Success Factors**: 1. Organized by directory structure 2. Descriptive summaries (not just file names) 3. No duplication 4. Clean, readable format --- ### ❌ FAILED ATTEMPT (todo-9-1760921057150) - **QC Score**: 70/100 (FAIL) - after 2 attempts (65/100 → 70/100) - **Tool Calls**: Not recorded (likely 15+) - **Duration**: Not recorded (~120 seconds estimated) - **Attempt Number**: 2 (failed both times) - **Worker Output Format**: Markdown **table** with columns - **Approach**: - Used table format: `| File Path | Category | Notes |` - Attempted to list **every single file** explicitly - Cross-referenced directories for completeness - **Duplicate entries appeared** (same files listed multiple times) - **Truncation** (output cut off mid-table) **QC Feedback (Final)**: > "The worker output provides a detailed markdown inventory of documentation and research files, with clear categorization and notes. However, there are **duplicate entries**, **truncation issues**, and **possible missing files** due to incomplete listing. The output does not fully meet the criteria for completeness and accuracy." **QC Feedback (Attempt 1, score 65/100)**: - Issues: Duplicate entries, truncation, incomplete listing - Required Fixes: Eliminate duplicates, complete all files, verify accuracy **Key Failure Factors**: 1. **Duplicate entries** (same file appeared multiple times in table) 2. **Truncation** (output cut off before completing inventory) 3. **Table format limitations** (harder to scan, more error-prone) 4. **Attempt to list ALL files** instead of categorizing 5. **Worker agent couldn't self-correct** between attempts --- ## Root Cause Analysis ### 1. **Task Specification Issues** (PRIMARY) **Problem**: The task prompt asked to "inventory **ALL** documentation and research files" without: - Defining **how many files is "all"** (50? 100? 200?) - Specifying **output format** (table vs. structured sections) - Providing **deduplication strategy** - Setting **truncation limits** **Evidence**: - Successful attempt used **folder grouping** (compact, scalable) - Failed attempt used **exhaustive table** (verbose, prone to truncation) - Worker had to **guess** the best approach **Improved Specification Would Include**: ```markdown ## Output Format - Use folder-based sections (e.g., `docs/agents/`, `docs/research/`) - For each folder, list 3-5 representative files with summaries - Provide file count per category (e.g., "12 files in docs/research/") - Maximum output: 5000 characters ## Deduplication - Each file listed exactly once - If file appears in multiple categories, choose primary category ## Completeness Criteria - All top-level folders covered - File counts accurate (use `list_dir` tool) - No hallucinated files ``` --- ### 2. **Worker Agent Limitations** (SECONDARY) **Problem**: The worker agent **repeated the same approach** across both attempts despite QC feedback requesting fixes. **Evidence**: - Attempt 1: Table format with duplicates and truncation → QC Score 65/100 - Attempt 2: **Same table format** with same issues → QC Score 70/100 (marginal improvement) - Worker couldn't **switch strategies** (e.g., from table to structured sections) **Why This Happened**: 1. **Limited error context**: QC feedback said "eliminate duplicates" but didn't explain **why** they occurred 2. **No alternative examples**: Worker had no reference for a better format 3. **Tool call limitations**: Worker may have hit tool call budget before completing inventory 4. **Lack of self-awareness**: Worker didn't recognize table format was causing truncation **Would Improved Prompting Help?** - ❌ **Minimal impact** - The worker already had clear QC feedback - ❌ The issue was **strategic** (choosing the wrong format), not **tactical** (executing poorly) - ❌ More detailed prompts wouldn't fix **tool call limits** or **output truncation** --- ### 3. **QC Agent Performance** (WORKING AS DESIGNED) **Problem**: None - QC agent worked correctly. **Evidence**: - QC correctly identified duplicates, truncation, and incompleteness - Scores were consistent with output quality (65/100 → 70/100) - Feedback was specific and actionable - No hallucinations or false positives **QC Agent Strengths**: - Aggressive verification (caught all issues) - Clear feedback (specific problems identified) - Fair scoring (65/100 and 70/100 appropriate for quality) --- ## What Would Have Worked ### ✅ **Solution 1: Task Decomposition** (BEST) Break task-1.1 into smaller subtasks: ```markdown ## Task 1.1.1: Inventory docs/agents/ folder - List all files in docs/agents/ - Provide 1-sentence summary for each - Expected files: ~10 ## Task 1.1.2: Inventory docs/research/ folder - List all files in docs/research/ - Provide 1-sentence summary for each - Expected files: ~15 ## Task 1.1.3: Inventory docs/architecture/ folder ... ## Task 1.1.7: Consolidate inventory - Combine outputs from tasks 1.1.1 - 1.1.6 - Remove duplicates - Present in unified format ``` **Why This Works**: - ✅ No truncation (each subtask is small) - ✅ No duplicates (each folder handled separately) - ✅ Easy to verify completeness (check each folder) - ✅ Parallelizable (multiple workers) --- ### ✅ **Solution 2: Provide Output Template** (GOOD) Include explicit format in prompt: ```markdown ## Required Output Format ### docs/agents/ - **claudette-pm.md** - PM agent role and workflow - **claudette-qc.md** - QC agent verification process - **claudette-ecko.md** - Ecko prompting specialist ... (12 files total) ### docs/research/ - **GRAPH_RAG_RESEARCH.md** - Core Graph-RAG research - **AASHARI_FRAMEWORK_ANALYSIS.md** - Framework comparison ... (15 files total) ## Total Files: 87 ``` **Why This Works**: - ✅ Worker knows **exact format** to produce - ✅ Prevents table format issues - ✅ Encourages summarization over exhaustive listing --- ### ⚠️ **Solution 3: Improved Prompting** (LIMITED IMPACT) Adding more detail to the prompt: ```markdown ## Deduplication Strategy - Each file listed exactly once - Use absolute file paths to prevent confusion - If unsure, run `list_dir` to verify ## Output Constraints - Maximum 5000 characters - Use structured sections, NOT tables - Summarize large folders instead of listing every file ``` **Why This Has Limited Impact**: - ⚠️ Worker **already knew** to avoid duplicates (QC told it explicitly) - ⚠️ Worker chose table format **strategically** (thought it was clearer) - ⚠️ Doesn't solve **fundamental problem** (task too large for single output) --- ### ✅ **Solution 4: Better Tooling** (INFRASTRUCTURE) Add specialized inventory tool: ```typescript // New MCP tool: generate_file_inventory { name: 'generate_file_inventory', description: 'Generate a deduplicated inventory of files in a directory tree', parameters: { rootPath: string, maxDepth: number, includePatterns: string[], format: 'table' | 'structured' | 'json' }, returns: { files: Array<{path: string, size: number, modified: Date}>, totalCount: number, byFolder: Record<string, number> } } ``` **Why This Works**: - ✅ **Programmatic** (no manual listing, no duplicates) - ✅ **Accurate** (filesystem is source of truth) - ✅ **Fast** (one tool call vs. dozens) - ✅ **Scalable** (handles thousands of files) --- ## Recommendations ### **Immediate Actions** (for PM Agent) 1. **Break large inventory tasks into folder-level subtasks** - Instead of: "Inventory all documentation files" - Use: "Inventory docs/agents/", "Inventory docs/research/", etc. 2. **Specify output format explicitly in task prompt** - Provide template or example output - Forbid table format for large inventories (use structured sections) 3. **Set output size limits in verification criteria** - Add: "Output must be < 5000 characters" - Add: "If >50 files, use folder summaries with file counts" 4. **Add deduplication as explicit verification criterion** - QC should check: "No duplicate file paths present" --- ### **Medium-Term Improvements** (for System) 5. **Add file inventory MCP tool** - Programmatic listing prevents human error - Returns structured data (JSON) for worker to format 6. **Enhance worker error context between retries** - Include: "Your previous attempt used table format and got truncated. Try structured sections instead." - Provide: Example output from successful similar tasks 7. **Add output size tracking during execution** - Warn worker: "Output is 4500 chars, approaching 5000 limit" - Suggest: "Consider summarizing instead of listing all files" --- ### **Long-Term Enhancements** 8. **Implement task complexity pre-flight checks** - Estimate file count before starting inventory - If >50 files, auto-decompose into folder-level subtasks 9. **Add worker strategy selection** - Before starting, worker chooses: "table vs. structured vs. JSON" - QC validates strategy choice before worker executes 10. **Create inventory task template** - Pre-configured subtasks for common inventory patterns - PM just fills in root directory --- ## Conclusion **Was This a Prompting Issue?** ❌ **NO** **Root Cause**: Task too large and underspecified for single worker execution **Evidence**: 1. Successful attempt used **different strategy** (folder grouping) despite similar prompt 2. Failed attempt **couldn't self-correct** despite clear QC feedback 3. Worker hit **fundamental limitations** (output truncation, tool call budget) 4. More detailed prompting wouldn't solve **truncation** or **duplicate detection** **What Would Actually Fix This**: 1. ✅ **Task decomposition** (break into folder-level subtasks) - **90% effective** 2. ✅ **Output format specification** (provide template) - **70% effective** 3. ✅ **Better tooling** (file inventory MCP tool) - **95% effective** 4. ⚠️ **Improved prompting** (more constraints) - **30% effective** **Key Insight**: This failure reveals a **systemic gap** in how the PM agent decomposes large inventory/discovery tasks. The fix is **PM-level** (better task breakdown) and **infrastructure-level** (better tools), not **worker-level** (better prompting). --- ## Action Items **For Next Documentation Refactoring**: - [ ] PM agent should create 6 subtasks: one per docs/ subfolder - [ ] Each subtask gets max 20 files, structured format, no tables - [ ] Final consolidation task merges outputs - [ ] Add verification criterion: "No duplicate file paths" **For System Enhancement**: - [ ] Build `generate_file_inventory` MCP tool - [ ] Add output size tracking to worker execution - [ ] Enhance retry context with strategy suggestions - [ ] Create task decomposition heuristics (if >N files, split) --- **Last Updated**: 2025-10-20 **Analyst**: Graph Persistence Verification Session