Why AI Agent Decision Logs Should Record Rejected Options, Not Just Actions

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A software developer has proposed expanding AI agent decision logs to include not only actions taken but also the options that were considered and discarded. The argument is that logging only chosen actions creates a misleadingly clean record, omitting the reasoning behind rejected alternatives and the conditions under which they might be reconsidered. The proposal introduces a structured log format featuring a 'revisit_when' field, signalling that a rejected option was unsuitable in a specific context rather than permanently inferior. A companion validator tool is also proposed to enforce completeness, flagging any rejection entry that lacks a reason or revisit condition. The author further recommends a user study to measure whether decision-plus-rejection logs help operators explain, challenge, and recover from agent actions more effectively than execution-only histories.

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