Principlev1
Articulating the specific outcome an agent produces and when
Articulating the specific outcome an agent produces and when you last used that outcome distinguishes active value-generators from legacy processes running on autopilot.
Why This Is a Principle
Grounds in Illusion of Explanatory Depth (self-assessment is unreliable until forced to articulate) and Externalization Exposes Hidden Structure (externalization exposes gaps). The articulation test is the Feathers criterion applied to cognitive agents—it's a derived test for whether something genuinely works. This is prescriptive (apply this two-question test), general (works for any agent), and actionable.