fleet-memory/hindsight-docs/docs/developer/api/reflect.mdx
Nicolò Boschi 90e370ef35
fix: misc fixes for observations and mental models (#209)
* fix: misc fixes for observations and mental models

* feat: improve graph retrieval for observations

- Update LinkExpansionRetriever to traverse through source_memory_ids
  for observation entity connections (avoiding data duplication)
- Remove entity link copy from world facts to observations in consolidator
- Add tests for link expansion graph retrieval
- Add directives_applied field to ReflectResult
- Include user's other changes (CLI, docs, client updates)

* fix: CI test failures

- Add mental_model_id parameter to create_mental_model function
- Fix ToolCallTrace not including reason field from ToolCall
- Improve test_link_expansion_observation_graph_retrieval to wait for consolidation with retry

* chore: reduce link expansion log verbosity

* Revert "chore: reduce link expansion log verbosity"

This reverts commit 3ce759391cead1012157785fa78fef16ef9bfe3b.

* feat: add semantic/temporal/entity links as fallback in graph retrieval

- Add fallback query for semantic, temporal, and entity links from memory_links
- Check both directions (outgoing and incoming links)
- Weight fallback results at 0.5x to prioritize entity links via unit_entities
- Fixes graph retrieval returning 0 when data has cross-cluster temporal connections

* fix: enable observations fixture for link expansion test

- Add enable_observations fixture to ensure observations are created
- Increase wait time from 10 to 30 seconds for CI reliability
2026-01-27 15:37:57 +01:00

168 lines
6.9 KiB
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---
sidebar_position: 3
---
# Reflect
Generate disposition-aware responses using an agentic reasoning loop.
When you call **reflect**, Hindsight runs an **agentic loop** that:
1. **Autonomously searches** for relevant information using multiple tools
2. **Applies** the bank's disposition traits to shape the reasoning style
3. **Generates** a grounded answer with citations to the sources used
The agent has access to hierarchical retrieval tools (mental models → observations → raw facts) and decides what information it needs to answer your query.
import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs';
import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
import CodeSnippet from '@site/src/components/CodeSnippet';
{/* Import raw source files */}
import reflectPy from '!!raw-loader!@site/examples/api/reflect.py';
import reflectMjs from '!!raw-loader!@site/examples/api/reflect.mjs';
import reflectSh from '!!raw-loader!@site/examples/api/reflect.sh';
:::info How Reflect Works
Learn about disposition-driven reasoning in the [Reflect Architecture](/developer/reflect) guide.
:::
:::tip Prerequisites
Make sure you've completed the [Quick Start](./quickstart) to install the client and start the server.
:::
## Basic Usage
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<TabItem value="python" label="Python">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectPy} section="reflect-basic" language="python" />
</TabItem>
<TabItem value="node" label="Node.js">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectMjs} section="reflect-basic" language="javascript" />
</TabItem>
<TabItem value="cli" label="CLI">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectSh} section="reflect-basic" language="bash" />
</TabItem>
</Tabs>
## Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `query` | string | required | Question or prompt |
| `budget` | string | "low" | Budget level: `low`, `mid`, `high` (see below) |
| `max_tokens` | int | 4096 | Maximum tokens for the final response |
| `response_schema` | object | None | JSON Schema for [structured output](#structured-output) |
| `tags` | list | None | Filter memories by tags during reflection |
| `tags_match` | string | "any" | How to match tags: `any`, `all`, `any_strict`, `all_strict` |
| `trace` | bool | false | Include detailed agent trace in response |
### Budget
The `budget` parameter controls the research depth — how thoroughly the agent explores before answering:
| Budget | Research Depth | Use Case |
|--------|----------------|----------|
| `low` | Shallow | Quick answers, simple lookups. Prioritizes speed over completeness. |
| `mid` | Moderate | Balanced exploration. Checks multiple sources when warranted. |
| `high` | Deep | Comprehensive analysis. Explores all knowledge levels, uses multiple query variations. |
Use `high` for complex questions that require synthesizing information from multiple sources or verifying facts across different retrieval levels.
### Max Tokens
The `max_tokens` parameter limits the length of the final generated response. This does not affect how much the agent can retrieve during the agentic loop — only the final answer length.
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<TabItem value="python" label="Python">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectPy} section="reflect-with-params" language="python" />
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<CodeSnippet code={reflectMjs} section="reflect-with-params" language="javascript" />
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## Disposition Influence
The bank's disposition affects reflect responses:
| Trait | Low (1) | High (5) |
|-------|---------|----------|
| **Skepticism** | Trusting, accepts claims | Questions and doubts claims |
| **Literalism** | Flexible interpretation | Exact, literal interpretation |
| **Empathy** | Detached, fact-focused | Considers emotional context |
<Tabs>
<TabItem value="python" label="Python">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectPy} section="reflect-disposition" language="python" />
</TabItem>
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<CodeSnippet code={reflectMjs} section="reflect-disposition" language="javascript" />
</TabItem>
</Tabs>
## Citations
The response includes a `based_on` field that shows which sources were used:
- `based_on.memories` — Memory facts (world, experience) that were retrieved and cited
- `based_on.mental_models` — User-curated mental models that were used
- `based_on.directives` — Directives that were enforced
**Important:** Only IDs that were actually retrieved during the agent loop can be cited. The agent validates citations to prevent hallucinated references.
This enables:
- **Transparency** — users see exactly which sources informed the answer
- **Verification** — check if the response is grounded in actual memories
- **Debugging** — use `trace=True` for detailed tool call logs
## Structured Output
For applications that need to process responses programmatically, you can request structured output by providing a JSON Schema via `response_schema`. When provided, the response includes a `structured_output` field with the LLM response parsed according to the schema. The `text` field will be empty since only a single LLM call is made for efficiency.
The easiest way to define a schema is using **Pydantic models**:
<Tabs>
<TabItem value="python" label="Python">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectPy} section="reflect-structured-output" language="python" />
</TabItem>
<TabItem value="node" label="Node.js">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectMjs} section="reflect-structured-output" language="javascript" />
</TabItem>
<TabItem value="cli" label="CLI">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectSh} section="reflect-structured-output" language="bash" />
</TabItem>
</Tabs>
| Use Case | Why Structured Output Helps |
|----------|----------------------------|
| **Decision pipelines** | Parse recommendations into workflow systems |
| **Dashboards** | Extract confidence scores, risk factors for visualization |
| **Multi-agent systems** | Pass structured data between agents |
| **Auditing** | Log structured decisions with clear reasoning |
**Tips:**
- Use Pydantic's `model_json_schema()` for type-safe schema generation
- Use `model_validate()` to parse the response back into your Pydantic model
- Keep schemas focused — extract only what you need
- Use `Optional` fields for data that may not always be available
## Filter by Tags
Like [recall](./recall#filter-by-tags), reflect supports tag filtering to scope which memories are considered during reasoning. This is essential for multi-user scenarios where reflection should only consider memories relevant to a specific user.
<Tabs>
<TabItem value="python" label="Python">
<CodeSnippet code={reflectPy} section="reflect-with-tags" language="python" />
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The `tags_match` parameter works the same as in recall:
| Mode | Behavior |
|------|----------|
| `any` | OR matching, includes untagged memories |
| `all` | AND matching, includes untagged memories |
| `any_strict` | OR matching, excludes untagged memories |
| `all_strict` | AND matching, excludes untagged memories |
See [Retain API](./retain#tagging-memories) for how to tag memories and [Recall API](./recall#filter-by-tags) for more details on tag matching modes.