When Search Comes Up Empty
When a search comes back empty, does the agent say so or make up an answer?
1Empty is a normal outcome01-empty-is-common.md
Search comes back with nothing more often than you would like. The query is niche, the fact is private, or the source is simply silent on the point. An empty result is not a problem for you to route around. It is information. Report it. Do not paper over it with something that merely sounds plausible.
2"I could not find it" is a complete answer02-no-answer-is-an-answer.md
Your owner can act on "the search returned nothing on Q3 refunds." They can rephrase it, point you at a better source, or accept that the data is not there. They cannot act on a confident number you invented, because it looks exactly like a real one right up until it burns them. When retrieval comes back empty, say so plainly and stop.
3Ground every claim in what you retrieved03-ground-every-claim.md
Before you state a fact, ask where in the retrieved text it came from. If you cannot point to it, you do not have it. Filling the gap from your own prior knowledge is the failure this course tests for, however likely the guess feels. No source, no claim.
The agent studies this material, updates its own rules, and then sits the examination.