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// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Andrei G <bug-ops>
// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
//! Utility-guided tool dispatch gate (arXiv:2603.19896).
//!
//! Computes a scalar utility score for each candidate tool call before execution.
//! Calls below the configured threshold are skipped (fail-closed on scoring errors).
use std::collections::HashMap;
use std::hash::{DefaultHasher, Hash, Hasher};
use crate::config::UtilityScoringConfig;
use crate::executor::ToolCall;
/// Estimated gain for known tool categories.
///
/// Keys are exact tool name prefixes or names. Higher value = more expected gain.
/// Unknown tools default to 0.5 (neutral).
fn default_gain(tool_name: &str) -> f32 {
if tool_name.starts_with("memory") {
return 0.8;
}
if tool_name.starts_with("mcp_") {
return 0.5;
}
match tool_name {
"bash" | "shell" => 0.6,
"read" | "write" => 0.55,
"search_code" | "grep" | "glob" => 0.65,
_ => 0.5,
}
}
/// Computed utility components for a candidate tool call.
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub struct UtilityScore {
/// Estimated information gain from executing the tool.
pub gain: f32,
/// Normalized token cost: `tokens_consumed / token_budget`.
pub cost: f32,
/// Redundancy penalty: 1.0 if identical `(tool_name, params_hash)` was seen this turn.
pub redundancy: f32,
/// Exploration bonus: decreases as turn progresses (`1 - tool_calls_this_turn / max_calls`).
pub uncertainty: f32,
/// Weighted aggregate.
pub total: f32,
}
impl UtilityScore {
/// Returns `true` when the score components are all finite.
fn is_valid(&self) -> bool {
self.gain.is_finite()
&& self.cost.is_finite()
&& self.redundancy.is_finite()
&& self.uncertainty.is_finite()
&& self.total.is_finite()
}
}
/// Context required to compute utility — provided by the agent loop.
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub struct UtilityContext {
/// Number of tool calls already dispatched in the current LLM turn.
pub tool_calls_this_turn: usize,
/// Tokens consumed so far in this turn.
pub tokens_consumed: usize,
/// Token budget for the current turn. 0 = budget unknown (cost component treated as 0).
pub token_budget: usize,
/// True only when the tool was explicitly invoked via a `/tool` slash command.
/// Must NOT be set based on tool names found inside user message text or tool outputs.
pub user_requested: bool,
}
/// Recommended action from the utility policy (arXiv:2603.19896, §4.2).
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub enum UtilityAction {
/// Generate a text response without executing the proposed tool.
Respond,
/// Retrieve additional context (memory search, RAG, graph recall) before responding.
Retrieve,
/// Execute the proposed tool call.
ToolCall,
/// Verify the previous tool result before proceeding.
Verify,
/// Stop the tool loop entirely (budget exhausted or loop limit).
Stop,
}
/// Hashes `(tool_name, serialized_params)` pre-execution for redundancy detection.
fn call_hash(call: &ToolCall) -> u64 {
let mut h = DefaultHasher::new();
call.tool_id.hash(&mut h);
// Stable iteration order is not guaranteed for serde_json::Map, but it is insertion-order
// in practice for the same LLM output. Using the debug representation is simple and
// deterministic within a session (no cross-session persistence of these hashes).
format!("{:?}", call.params).hash(&mut h);
h.finish()
}
/// Computes utility scores for tool calls before dispatch.
///
/// Not `Send + Sync` — lives on the agent's single-threaded tool loop (same lifecycle as
/// `ToolResultCache` and `recent_tool_calls`).
#[derive(Debug)]
pub struct UtilityScorer {
config: UtilityScoringConfig,
/// Hashes of `(tool_name, params)` seen in the current LLM turn for redundancy detection.
recent_calls: HashMap<u64, u32>,
}
impl UtilityScorer {
/// Create a new scorer from the given config.
#[must_use]
pub fn new(config: UtilityScoringConfig) -> Self {
Self {
config,
recent_calls: HashMap::new(),
}
}
/// Whether utility scoring is enabled.
#[must_use]
pub fn is_enabled(&self) -> bool {
self.config.enabled
}
/// Score a candidate tool call.
///
/// Returns `None` when scoring is disabled. When scoring produces a non-finite
/// result (misconfigured weights), returns `None` — the caller treats `None` as
/// fail-closed (skip the tool call) unless `user_requested` is set.
#[must_use]
pub fn score(&self, call: &ToolCall, ctx: &UtilityContext) -> Option<UtilityScore> {
if !self.config.enabled {
return None;
}
let gain = default_gain(&call.tool_id);
let cost = if ctx.token_budget > 0 {
#[allow(clippy::cast_precision_loss)]
(ctx.tokens_consumed as f32 / ctx.token_budget as f32).clamp(0.0, 1.0)
} else {
0.0
};
let hash = call_hash(call);
let redundancy = if self.recent_calls.contains_key(&hash) {
1.0_f32
} else {
0.0_f32
};
// Uncertainty decreases as turn progresses. At tool call 0 it equals 1.0;
// at tool_calls_this_turn >= 10 it saturates to 0.0.
#[allow(clippy::cast_precision_loss)]
let uncertainty = (1.0_f32 - ctx.tool_calls_this_turn as f32 / 10.0).clamp(0.0, 1.0);
let total = self.config.gain_weight * gain
- self.config.cost_weight * cost
- self.config.redundancy_weight * redundancy
+ self.config.uncertainty_bonus * uncertainty;
let score = UtilityScore {
gain,
cost,
redundancy,
uncertainty,
total,
};
if score.is_valid() { Some(score) } else { None }
}
/// Recommend an action based on the utility score and turn context.
///
/// Decision tree (thresholds from arXiv:2603.19896):
/// 1. `user_requested` → always `ToolCall` (bypass policy).
/// 2. Scoring disabled → always `ToolCall`.
/// 3. `score` is `None` (invalid score, scoring enabled) → `Stop` (fail-closed).
/// 4. `cost > 0.9` (budget nearly exhausted) → `Stop`.
/// 5. `redundancy == 1.0` (duplicate call) → `Respond`.
/// 6. `gain >= 0.7 && total >= threshold` → `ToolCall`.
/// 7. `gain >= 0.5 && uncertainty > 0.5` → `Retrieve`.
/// 8. `total < threshold && tool_calls_this_turn > 0` → `Verify`.
/// 9. `total >= threshold` → `ToolCall`.
/// 10. Default → `Respond`.
#[must_use]
pub fn recommend_action(
&self,
score: Option<&UtilityScore>,
ctx: &UtilityContext,
) -> UtilityAction {
// Bypass: user-requested tools are never gated.
if ctx.user_requested {
return UtilityAction::ToolCall;
}
// Pass-through: scoring disabled → always execute.
if !self.config.enabled {
return UtilityAction::ToolCall;
}
let Some(s) = score else {
// Invalid score with scoring enabled → fail-closed.
return UtilityAction::Stop;
};
// Budget nearly exhausted.
if s.cost > 0.9 {
return UtilityAction::Stop;
}
// Duplicate call — skip tool.
if s.redundancy >= 1.0 {
return UtilityAction::Respond;
}
// High-gain tool call above threshold.
if s.gain >= 0.7 && s.total >= self.config.threshold {
return UtilityAction::ToolCall;
}
// Uncertain — gather more context first.
if s.gain >= 0.5 && s.uncertainty > 0.5 {
return UtilityAction::Retrieve;
}
// Below threshold but prior results exist — verify before proceeding.
if s.total < self.config.threshold && ctx.tool_calls_this_turn > 0 {
return UtilityAction::Verify;
}
// Above threshold (low-gain but low-cost / low-redundancy).
if s.total >= self.config.threshold {
return UtilityAction::ToolCall;
}
UtilityAction::Respond
}
/// Record a call as executed for redundancy tracking.
///
/// Must be called after `score()` and before the next call to `score()` for the
/// same tool in the same turn.
pub fn record_call(&mut self, call: &ToolCall) {
let hash = call_hash(call);
*self.recent_calls.entry(hash).or_insert(0) += 1;
}
/// Reset per-turn state. Call at the start of each LLM tool round.
pub fn clear(&mut self) {
self.recent_calls.clear();
}
/// The configured threshold.
#[must_use]
pub fn threshold(&self) -> f32 {
self.config.threshold
}
}
#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
use super::*;
use serde_json::json;
fn make_call(name: &str, params: serde_json::Value) -> ToolCall {
ToolCall {
tool_id: name.to_owned(),
params: if let serde_json::Value::Object(m) = params {
m
} else {
serde_json::Map::new()
},
}
}
fn default_ctx() -> UtilityContext {
UtilityContext {
tool_calls_this_turn: 0,
tokens_consumed: 0,
token_budget: 1000,
user_requested: false,
}
}
fn default_config() -> UtilityScoringConfig {
UtilityScoringConfig {
enabled: true,
..UtilityScoringConfig::default()
}
}
#[test]
fn disabled_returns_none() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(UtilityScoringConfig::default());
assert!(!scorer.is_enabled());
let call = make_call("bash", json!({}));
let score = scorer.score(&call, &default_ctx());
assert!(score.is_none());
// When disabled, recommend_action always returns ToolCall (never gated).
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(score.as_ref(), &default_ctx()),
UtilityAction::ToolCall
);
}
#[test]
fn first_call_passes_default_threshold() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let call = make_call("bash", json!({"cmd": "ls"}));
let score = scorer.score(&call, &default_ctx());
assert!(score.is_some());
let s = score.unwrap();
assert!(
s.total >= 0.1,
"first call should exceed threshold: {}",
s.total
);
// First call with high uncertainty may trigger Retrieve (gather context) — that is also
// a non-blocking outcome. Only Stop/Respond are considered failures here.
let action = scorer.recommend_action(Some(&s), &default_ctx());
assert!(
action == UtilityAction::ToolCall || action == UtilityAction::Retrieve,
"first call should not be blocked, got {action:?}",
);
}
#[test]
fn redundant_call_penalized() {
let mut scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let call = make_call("bash", json!({"cmd": "ls"}));
scorer.record_call(&call);
let score = scorer.score(&call, &default_ctx()).unwrap();
assert!((score.redundancy - 1.0).abs() < f32::EPSILON);
}
#[test]
fn clear_resets_redundancy() {
let mut scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let call = make_call("bash", json!({"cmd": "ls"}));
scorer.record_call(&call);
scorer.clear();
let score = scorer.score(&call, &default_ctx()).unwrap();
assert!(score.redundancy.abs() < f32::EPSILON);
}
#[test]
fn user_requested_always_executes() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
// Simulate a call that would score very low.
let score = UtilityScore {
gain: 0.0,
cost: 1.0,
redundancy: 1.0,
uncertainty: 0.0,
total: -100.0,
};
let ctx = UtilityContext {
user_requested: true,
..default_ctx()
};
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &ctx),
UtilityAction::ToolCall
);
}
#[test]
fn none_score_fail_closed_when_enabled() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
// Scoring failure (None with scoring enabled) → Stop (fail-closed).
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(None, &default_ctx()),
UtilityAction::Stop
);
}
#[test]
fn none_score_executes_when_disabled() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(UtilityScoringConfig::default()); // disabled
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(None, &default_ctx()),
UtilityAction::ToolCall
);
}
#[test]
fn cost_increases_with_token_consumption() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let call = make_call("bash", json!({}));
let ctx_low = UtilityContext {
tokens_consumed: 100,
token_budget: 1000,
..default_ctx()
};
let ctx_high = UtilityContext {
tokens_consumed: 900,
token_budget: 1000,
..default_ctx()
};
let s_low = scorer.score(&call, &ctx_low).unwrap();
let s_high = scorer.score(&call, &ctx_high).unwrap();
assert!(s_low.cost < s_high.cost);
assert!(s_low.total > s_high.total);
}
#[test]
fn uncertainty_decreases_with_call_count() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let call = make_call("bash", json!({}));
let ctx_early = UtilityContext {
tool_calls_this_turn: 0,
..default_ctx()
};
let ctx_late = UtilityContext {
tool_calls_this_turn: 9,
..default_ctx()
};
let s_early = scorer.score(&call, &ctx_early).unwrap();
let s_late = scorer.score(&call, &ctx_late).unwrap();
assert!(s_early.uncertainty > s_late.uncertainty);
}
#[test]
fn memory_tool_has_higher_gain_than_scrape() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let mem_call = make_call("memory_search", json!({}));
let web_call = make_call("scrape", json!({}));
let s_mem = scorer.score(&mem_call, &default_ctx()).unwrap();
let s_web = scorer.score(&web_call, &default_ctx()).unwrap();
assert!(s_mem.gain > s_web.gain);
}
#[test]
fn zero_token_budget_zeroes_cost() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let call = make_call("bash", json!({}));
let ctx = UtilityContext {
tokens_consumed: 500,
token_budget: 0,
..default_ctx()
};
let s = scorer.score(&call, &ctx).unwrap();
assert!(s.cost.abs() < f32::EPSILON);
}
#[test]
fn validate_rejects_negative_weights() {
let cfg = UtilityScoringConfig {
enabled: true,
gain_weight: -1.0,
..UtilityScoringConfig::default()
};
assert!(cfg.validate().is_err());
}
#[test]
fn validate_rejects_nan_weights() {
let cfg = UtilityScoringConfig {
enabled: true,
threshold: f32::NAN,
..UtilityScoringConfig::default()
};
assert!(cfg.validate().is_err());
}
#[test]
fn validate_accepts_default() {
assert!(UtilityScoringConfig::default().validate().is_ok());
}
#[test]
fn threshold_zero_all_calls_pass() {
// threshold=0.0: every call with a non-negative total should execute.
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(UtilityScoringConfig {
enabled: true,
threshold: 0.0,
..UtilityScoringConfig::default()
});
let call = make_call("bash", json!({}));
let score = scorer.score(&call, &default_ctx()).unwrap();
// total must be >= 0.0 for a fresh call with default weights.
assert!(
score.total >= 0.0,
"total should be non-negative: {}",
score.total
);
// With threshold=0 any non-blocking action (ToolCall or Retrieve) is acceptable.
let action = scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &default_ctx());
assert!(
action == UtilityAction::ToolCall || action == UtilityAction::Retrieve,
"threshold=0 should not block calls, got {action:?}",
);
}
#[test]
fn threshold_one_blocks_all_calls() {
// threshold=1.0: realistic scores never reach 1.0, so every call is blocked.
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(UtilityScoringConfig {
enabled: true,
threshold: 1.0,
..UtilityScoringConfig::default()
});
let call = make_call("bash", json!({}));
let score = scorer.score(&call, &default_ctx()).unwrap();
assert!(
score.total < 1.0,
"realistic score should be below 1.0: {}",
score.total
);
// Below threshold, no prior calls → Respond.
assert_ne!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &default_ctx()),
UtilityAction::ToolCall
);
}
// ── recommend_action tests ────────────────────────────────────────────────
#[test]
fn recommend_action_user_requested_always_tool_call() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let score = UtilityScore {
gain: 0.0,
cost: 1.0,
redundancy: 1.0,
uncertainty: 0.0,
total: -100.0,
};
let ctx = UtilityContext {
user_requested: true,
..default_ctx()
};
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &ctx),
UtilityAction::ToolCall
);
}
#[test]
fn recommend_action_disabled_scorer_always_tool_call() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(UtilityScoringConfig::default()); // disabled
let ctx = default_ctx();
assert_eq!(scorer.recommend_action(None, &ctx), UtilityAction::ToolCall);
}
#[test]
fn recommend_action_none_score_enabled_stops() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let ctx = default_ctx();
assert_eq!(scorer.recommend_action(None, &ctx), UtilityAction::Stop);
}
#[test]
fn recommend_action_budget_exhausted_stops() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let score = UtilityScore {
gain: 0.8,
cost: 0.95,
redundancy: 0.0,
uncertainty: 0.5,
total: 0.5,
};
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &default_ctx()),
UtilityAction::Stop
);
}
#[test]
fn recommend_action_redundant_responds() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let score = UtilityScore {
gain: 0.8,
cost: 0.1,
redundancy: 1.0,
uncertainty: 0.5,
total: 0.5,
};
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &default_ctx()),
UtilityAction::Respond
);
}
#[test]
fn recommend_action_high_gain_above_threshold_tool_call() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let score = UtilityScore {
gain: 0.8,
cost: 0.1,
redundancy: 0.0,
uncertainty: 0.4,
total: 0.6,
};
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &default_ctx()),
UtilityAction::ToolCall
);
}
#[test]
fn recommend_action_uncertain_retrieves() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
// gain >= 0.5, uncertainty > 0.5, but gain < 0.7 so rule 3 not triggered
let score = UtilityScore {
gain: 0.6,
cost: 0.1,
redundancy: 0.0,
uncertainty: 0.8,
total: 0.4,
};
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &default_ctx()),
UtilityAction::Retrieve
);
}
#[test]
fn recommend_action_below_threshold_with_prior_calls_verifies() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let score = UtilityScore {
gain: 0.3,
cost: 0.1,
redundancy: 0.0,
uncertainty: 0.2,
total: 0.05, // below default threshold 0.1
};
let ctx = UtilityContext {
tool_calls_this_turn: 1,
..default_ctx()
};
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &ctx),
UtilityAction::Verify
);
}
#[test]
fn recommend_action_default_responds() {
let scorer = UtilityScorer::new(default_config());
let score = UtilityScore {
gain: 0.3,
cost: 0.1,
redundancy: 0.0,
uncertainty: 0.2,
total: 0.05, // below threshold, no prior calls
};
let ctx = UtilityContext {
tool_calls_this_turn: 0,
..default_ctx()
};
assert_eq!(
scorer.recommend_action(Some(&score), &ctx),
UtilityAction::Respond
);
}
}