AI Navigate

Basics of Asking an Agent: What to Delegate, What to Do Yourself

AI Navigate Original / 5/16/2026

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Key Points

An agent's results change greatly with how you ask; treat it as an instruction-faithful worker
5 principles: state goal, limit scope, confirmation points, failure behavior, request logs
Delegate reversible/objective/repetitive/low-confidential/routine; keep subjective, creative, high-confidential, irreversible yourself
Always insert approval points, templatize routines, keep logs; deploy where 80–90% suffices with a human final check

An Agent's Results Change a Lot with "How You Ask"

An agent is like a capable but instruction-faithful worker. Vague instructions spin wheels; clear ones work as expected. Here we organize judging "what to delegate, what to do yourself" and tips for asking.

5 Principles of Asking

1. State the goal

Over "do research," specify the end condition: "5 competitors' price plans in a table; save the result as a file."

2. Limit the scope

Over "do everything," "only files in this folder." Close off areas the AI shouldn't touch up front.

3. Specify confirmation points

Over "show me midway," embed human judgment points: "report once after reviewing 3 sites; continue if OK."

4. Failure behavior

Instruct behavior when things go wrong: "ask if uncertain, don't guess," "stop if no progress in 30 minutes."

5. Request logs

"Record the steps you took." Auditable/reproducible, and you can trace causes on failure.

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