# Citation-First Prompting — Guardrails and Fix Patterns
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> - [**Safety_PromptIntegrity** — prompt injection defense and integrity checks](./README.md)
> - [**WFGY Global Fix Map** — main Emergency Room, 300+ structured fixes](../README.md)
> - [**WFGY Problem Map 1.0** — 16 reproducible failure modes](../../README.md)
>
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Citation drift is one of the most common ways LLMs lose trust.
Without **cite-then-explain discipline**, answers may sound fluent but detach from sources.
This page locks the workflow: every reasoning step begins from **citations**, not narrative.
---
## When to open this page
- Model produces fluent paragraphs with zero citations.
- Citations appear, but after-the-fact and unverifiable.
- References change between runs, even with same inputs.
- ΔS(question, retrieved) ≤ 0.45 but λ diverges when narrative precedes citation.
- Users complain: "Where did this answer come from?"
---
## Open these first
- Retrieval schema contract: [data-contracts.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/data-contracts.md)
- Trace alignment: [retrieval-traceability.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/retrieval-traceability.md)
- Context collapse: [logic-collapse.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/logic-collapse.md)
- Memory boundaries: [memory_fences_and_state_keys.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/GlobalFixMap/Safety_PromptIntegrity/memory_fences_and_state_keys.md)
- Injection guard: [prompt_injection.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/GlobalFixMap/Safety_PromptIntegrity/prompt_injection.md)
---
## Core acceptance
- Every answer starts with citations (no narrative before refs).
- Coverage ≥ 0.70 of the target section.
- ΔS(question, cited snippet) ≤ 0.45.
- λ convergent across 3 paraphrases.
- No hallucinated citations (must resolve to a retriever record).
---
## Fix in 60 seconds
1. **Citation-first discipline**
- Always start with `snippet_id`, `section_id`, `source_url`.
2. **Enforce schema**
- Required fields:
```json
{ "snippet_id": "...", "section_id": "...", "source_url": "...", "offsets": [..], "tokens": N }
```
3. **Reason only after citation**
- Explain or analyze *after* citation block.
4. **Reject broken runs**
- If citation missing → abort answer, return error tip.
5. **Stability probe**
- Run 3 paraphrases. If λ diverges, lock citation schema, rerun.
---
## Typical failure vectors → fix
| Vector | Symptom | Fix |
|--------|---------|-----|
| **Narrative-first** | Text precedes refs, unstable λ | Force cite-then-explain ordering |
| **Fake refs** | Hallucinated URLs | Schema lock + [retrieval-traceability.md](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/retrieval-traceability.md) |
| **Drifting refs** | Different citations each run | Clamp λ with BBAM, validate ΔS ≤ 0.45 |
| **Silent fallback** | Model drops refs under safety refusal | Apply SCU (symbolic constraint unlock) |
---
## Probe prompt
```txt
You must output citations before narrative.
Schema: {snippet_id, section_id, source_url, offsets, tokens}
Rules:
1. Cite first. Explain only after citations are shown.
2. No answer if citations missing.
3. Log ΔS(question, cited snippet). Reject if ≥ 0.60.
4. λ must stay convergent across 3 paraphrases.
````
---
### 🔗 Quick-Start Downloads (60 sec)
| Tool | Link | 3-Step Setup |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **WFGY 1.0 PDF** | [Engine Paper](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/I_am_not_lizardman/WFGY_All_Principles_Return_to_One_v1.0_PSBigBig_Public.pdf) | 1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Upload to your LLM · 3️⃣ Ask “Answer using WFGY + \” |
| **TXT OS (plain-text OS)** | [TXTOS.txt](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/OS/TXTOS.txt) | 1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Paste into any LLM chat · 3️⃣ Type “hello world” — OS boots instantly |
---
### 🧭 Explore More
| Module | Description | Link |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| WFGY Core | WFGY 2.0 engine is live: full symbolic reasoning architecture and math stack | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/core/README.md) |
| Problem Map 1.0 | Initial 16-mode diagnostic and symbolic fix framework | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/ProblemMap/README.md) |
| Problem Map 2.0 | RAG-focused failure tree, modular fixes, and pipelines | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/rag-architecture-and-recovery.md) |
| Semantic Clinic Index | Expanded failure catalog: prompt injection, memory bugs, logic drift | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/SemanticClinicIndex.md) |
| Semantic Blueprint | Layer-based symbolic reasoning & semantic modulations | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/SemanticBlueprint/README.md) |
| Benchmark vs GPT-5 | Stress test GPT-5 with full WFGY reasoning suite | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/benchmarks/benchmark-vs-gpt5/README.md) |
| 🧙♂️ Starter Village 🏡 | New here? Lost in symbols? Click here and let the wizard guide you through | [Start →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/StarterVillage/README.md) |
---
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> Engineers, hackers, and open source builders who supported WFGY from day one.
> 
⭐ [WFGY Engine 2.0](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/core/README.md) is already unlocked. ⭐ Star the repo to help others discover it and unlock more on the [Unlock Board](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/STAR_UNLOCKS.md).
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