---
title: "Comment by Vlad Zoff on \"How much specification does an agent need?\" | Hashnode"
description: "The distinction between requirements and evidence is the part I find most useful. A spec can tell an agent what to build, but it doesn't prove it built the righ"
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need/6aa46924a9b5f506090a6413/comment/6abdf3b252950c0a4520735f"
---

[Discussion](https://hashnode.com/posts/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need/6aa46924a9b5f506090a6413)

Comment [How much specification does an agent need?](https://hashnode.com/posts/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need/6aa46924a9b5f506090a6413)

[Vlad Zoff](https://hashnode.com/@vladzoff)

[Oct 1](https://hashnode.com/posts/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need/6aa46924a9b5f506090a6413/comment/6abdf3b252950c0a4520735f)

The distinction between requirements and evidence is the part I find most useful. A spec can tell an agent what to build, but it doesn't prove it built the right thing. For production tasks I want acceptance criteria tied to repeatable checks, and open decisions to be explicit rather than silently inferred.

[Arvind Menon](https://hashnode.com/@arvindand)

[Oct 31](https://hashnode.com/posts/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need/6aa46924a9b5f506090a6413/comment/6abdf3b252950c0a4520735f#reply-6ae6641a484f04de61ef96a4)

Agreed, and I think that’s where the spec and the evidence have to meet. A spec can describe what “right” looks like, but only checks we can rerun show that we got there. It seems worth writing acceptance criteria with the check in mind (which test or measurement would show it holds). If I can’t name the check, the criterion is probably too vague.

The open decisions are the harder part for me. Agents are good at quietly picking a reasonable answer, so making those explicit has to be something we ask for rather than something we expect. Do you have the agent flag them as it goes, or do you mostly catch them in review?

[Vlad Zoff](https://hashnode.com/@vladzoff)

[Nov 1](https://hashnode.com/posts/how-much-specification-does-an-agent-need/6aa46924a9b5f506090a6413/comment/6abdf3b252950c0a4520735f#reply-6ae73c915cc46e26e58aa7fc)

I try to catch them as early as possible, ideally during planning, rather than relying on review to uncover them. I ask the agent to separate confirmed requirements from assumptions and open decisions. If a decision affects user-visible behavior, data contracts, security, or scope, it should stop and ask instead of silently choosing. For low-risk, reversible details, it can make a reasonable choice, but should record the assumption. Review is still important, but it should validate those decisions rather than be the first place they become visible.