output contract
/ˈaʊtpʊt ˈkɒntrækt/
an explicit agreement about the fields, format, rules, and failure behavior of a response
output contract in a sentence
“The output contract required JSON with a status field and an empty result on no match.”
Origin of output contract
English out + put + Latin contractus drawn together
Related Words
output schema
a formal description of a data structure, including its fields, types, and allowed values
structured output
a response produced in a predictable machine-readable shape, often constrained by a schema
response verbosity
the amount of detail and explanation in a response
reading level
the degree of language complexity expected of a response's reader
uncertainty
the degree to which available evidence leaves an answer unknown, ambiguous, or unreliable
abstention
a deliberate refusal to answer when evidence, authorization, or capability is insufficient