Repository source: docs/plans/backlog/classifier_optimization_step1_solution_assessment.md
Classifier Optimization Step 1 Solution Assessment
Problem Statement
The post classifier should be optimized for reliable, explainable safety and eligibility assessment now that agent task execution is a separate capability.
Option A: Retain the combined classifier-and-response contract and tune its rubric
Pros:
Smallest immediate change.
Keeps a single model output for classification and conventional responses.
Cons:
Leaves two different objectives coupled in one result.
Makes classifier quality harder to measure independently of response-writing quality.
Option B: Refocus the classifier on structured assessment and calibrate it independently
Pros:
Creates a clear, testable purpose for classifier outputs.
Lets safety, quality, and response-eligibility thresholds be evaluated and tuned without constraining task responses.
Reduces prompt conflicts between classification and writing.
Cons:
Requires defining meaningful assessment metrics and representative evaluation cases.
May require consumers to stop expecting a generated reply from the classifier.
Option C: Replace the classifier primarily with deterministic rules
Pros:
Produces predictable decisions for clear-cut policy checks.
Can be inexpensive for narrow conditions.
Cons:
Cannot reliably assess context, nuance, or good-faith discussion quality alone.
Risks overfitting the system to a limited rule set.
Recommendation
Recommend Option B.
Brief justification:
Separating task execution enables the classifier to specialize in assessment rather than response composition.
Step 2 should define its measured outputs, decision consumers, evaluation cases, and how deterministic safeguards complement the classifier.