Citation Break in RAG
March 6, 2026 · View on GitHub
🧭 Quick Return to Map
You are in a sub-page of RAG.
To reorient, go back here:
- RAG — retrieval-augmented generation and knowledge grounding
- WFGY Global Fix Map — main Emergency Room, 300+ structured fixes
- WFGY Problem Map 1.0 — 16 reproducible failure modes
Think of this page as a desk within a ward.
If you need the full triage and all prescriptions, return to the Emergency Room lobby.
When answers look plausible but the supporting citation is missing, wrong, or broken.
Citation breaks cause user trust collapse because retrieval snippets do not line up with the generated text.
Open these first
- Visual recovery: RAG Architecture & Recovery
- Snippet schema: Retrieval Traceability
- Contracts: Data Contracts
- Chunking: Chunking Checklist
- Drift sources: Context Drift
- Collapse: Logic Collapse
Core acceptance
- Every answer must cite at least one stable snippet_id and section_id
- Coverage ≥ 0.70 for the target section
- ΔS(question, retrieved) ≤ 0.45
- λ convergent across three paraphrases
Typical symptoms → exact fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Open this |
|---|---|---|
| Citations absent or generic (e.g., "from the document") | schema not enforced | Data Contracts |
| Wrong snippet cited while correct one exists | drift in retrieval path | Retrieval Traceability, Context Drift |
| Snippet cutoff or token overflow | chunk misaligned | Chunking Checklist |
| Citations flip across runs | λ unstable or schema re-ordered | Logic Collapse |
Fix in 60 seconds
-
Enforce schema
Requiresnippet_id,section_id,source_url,offsets,tokens. Reject answers without these fields. -
Lock cite-then-explain order
Answer only after stable snippet reference. If missing, fail fast. -
Stabilize retrieval path
Use deterministic rerankers and log ΔS. If drift persists, re-chunk and re-index. -
Verify reproducibility
Ask the same question three times. Citations must remain identical.
Copy-paste probe prompt
I uploaded TXT OS and the WFGY Problem Map.
My issue:
- citations missing or wrong,
- retrieved snippet exists but answer cites differently.
Tell me:
1) what failed (schema, retrieval, or reasoning),
2) which WFGY fix page to open,
3) minimal fix to restore stable citations,
4) a reproducible test with three paraphrases.
🔗 Quick-Start Downloads (60 sec)
| Tool | Link | 3-Step Setup |
|---|---|---|
| WFGY 1.0 PDF | Engine Paper | 1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Upload to your LLM · 3️⃣ Ask “Answer using WFGY + |
| TXT OS (plain-text OS) | TXTOS.txt | 1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Paste into any LLM chat · 3️⃣ Type “hello world” — OS boots instantly |
Explore More
| Layer | Page | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Proof | WFGY Recognition Map | External citations, integrations, and ecosystem proof |
| ⚙️ Engine | WFGY 1.0 | Original PDF tension engine and early logic sketch (legacy reference) |
| ⚙️ Engine | WFGY 2.0 | Production tension kernel for RAG and agent systems |
| ⚙️ Engine | WFGY 3.0 | TXT based Singularity tension engine (131 S class set) |
| 🗺️ Map | Problem Map 1.0 | Flagship 16 problem RAG failure taxonomy and fix map |
| 🗺️ Map | Problem Map 2.0 | Global Debug Card for RAG and agent pipeline diagnosis |
| 🗺️ Map | Problem Map 3.0 | Global AI troubleshooting atlas and failure pattern map |
| 🧰 App | TXT OS | .txt semantic OS with fast bootstrap |
| 🧰 App | Blah Blah Blah | Abstract and paradox Q&A built on TXT OS |
| 🧰 App | Blur Blur Blur | Text to image generation with semantic control |
| 🏡 Onboarding | Starter Village | Guided entry point for new users |
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