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Long-horizon agent trajectories and failure attribution

Node-level review from task intake and planning through tool use and final deliverables.

≈2.8Klong traces18avg. steps7failure classes
MERIDIAN / WORKSPACE
Long-horizon agent trajectories and failure attribution · workbench concept
Meridian workspace example

Task understanding before scale

A tool-using agent completed long-horizon work across files, browsers, code and structured data. Some final outputs were correct despite unstable retries and poor source selection. We retained the complete action–observation chain, then evaluated critical decisions, tool parameters, recovery, self-checks and stopping conditions. Failures were separated across task, plan, tool, execution, factuality, deliverable and judge layers; high-value failures were rewritten into improved post-training trajectories.

01

Complete action–observation–correction chain

02

Process quality separated from outcome quality

03

Trainable corrections tied to root cause

02 / PROCUREMENT REVIEW STRUCTURE

One structure aligns the questions asked by model, data, procurement and security teams.

01 / Capability gap

Node-level review from task intake and planning through tool use and final deliverables.

02 / Evaluation object

Long-horizon agent runs across files, browsers, code and structured tools

03 / Task design

Critical-node annotation, independent A/B review, root-cause attribution and trajectory correction

04 / Operating scale

Representative batch of approximately 2,800 traces averaging 18 steps across six tool classes

05 / QA protocol

Critical-node annotation × dual review × failure taxonomy; Trainable corrections tied to root cause

06 / Evidence package

Complete action–observation–correction chain; Process quality separated from outcome quality; All critical nodes received review; high-value failures became post-training-ready corrections

07 / Disclosure

Client identity, original material and selected volumes are removed or banded. This brief explains delivery method and does not guarantee future results.

03 / FLAGSHIP CASE FILE / AGENT

A case file a technical team can interrogate

A correct final answer does not establish agent reliability. The operating question is whether the agent selected the right information, tools, sequence and stopping condition.

01

Freeze the run

Lock the task, environment, tool versions and action–observation sequence.

02

Identify critical nodes

Mark irreversible decisions, external calls, recovery attempts and final submission.

03

Independent review

Separate reviewers judge process quality, outcome quality and root-cause attribution.

04

Adjudicate disagreement

Retain the rationale and ruling for plan, tool, factual, execution or judge-layer disputes.

05

Correct the trace

Rewrite high-value failures as minimal, trainable changes rather than idealized demonstrations.

04 / REWORK OR REJECTION GATES

What does not enter the accepted batch

  • Correct output built on the wrong or unverifiable source
  • Repeated retries obscure a planning or tool-selection failure
  • A failed intermediate state does not trigger recovery
  • Premature stopping or an incomplete final deliverable
05 / HANDOFF PACKAGE

The handoff is more than an answer column

  • Original action–observation trace
  • Critical nodes and failure taxonomy
  • A/B review and adjudication record
  • Corrected trajectory with training-use labels
06 / MODEL-WORKFLOW USE

Trace packages can support agent regression evaluation, failure analysis, SFT or preference-data design. Sampling, weighting and data rights are confirmed before training use.

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