option-list
A rule that is off by default: it reports an agent reply that lays out labeled options or alternatives once a decisions table turns it on.
What it catches
An agent reply that lays out labeled options or alternatives.
Dimension
structure: the reader has to reconstruct the order or the purpose. A finding is counted on
the dimension of its rule, the cost it names to the reader.
Why
Options the person did not ask for move a decision the agent could make back to them. Measured 2026-10-10: it fires on 6 of the 400 replies (1.5%), and a broader pattern found 158 of all 7088 (2.2%). It advises: the rule cannot see whether the person asked for the choices. Measured 2026-10-11 over the adjudicated labeling round 2: 70.5% precision (31 of 44) before, 96.9% (31 of 32) after. A label a sentence goes on from ("Option B completed"), a count of options already named or owned by a thing ("the three approaches you suggested", "a dropdown with three options") and inline (1) and (2) joined by "and", which are steps, are left alone. It stays off until a fresh labeling round measures it.
Default decision
The code is PRF8023. The decision depends on the kind of text judged:
| Kind | Default |
|---|---|
agent-reply |
off |
Changing it
A decisions table sets this rule to deny, advise or off, for everything judged
or for the files a glob matches. Proofread reads the table from the file its
-decisions flag names:
{
"rules": {"option-list": "deny"},
"paths": {"blog/**": {"option-list": "off"}}
}
rules applies to every file. A glob in paths applies to the files it matches, and the
last match wins. A rule set to off never reports.
Seeing it
A finding names the rule, its code and the decision that applies, and links here:
{"rule": "option-list", "code": "PRF8023", "decision": "off", "url": "https://eli.gladman.cc/magus/reference/proofread/option-list/"}
proofread rules prints this entry with every other rule's.
See also
- All proofread rules - every rule, grouped by what it checks
- Writing rules - how the rules apply to this repository's pages and pull requests
- The findings contract - the fields every finding carries