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Watch a backlist for content made stale by source changes

For: Publishing director or digital content lead for professional and educational titles

Pattern: WatchtowerNeeds a connectorDesigned for 20 to 600 agents
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The pain today

Textbooks and course materials cite statutes, standards and official guidance that change. Nobody knows which chapters across the backlist now teach something outdated until a reader complains.

The ask

“Watch the statutes, standards and guidance documents our titles depend on. When one changes, show me which chapters and course modules cite or paraphrase it, quote both texts, and recheck only those passages.”

Plain words, as you would say it to a colleague. Edit it to fit your case before you send it.

What you attach or connect

  • Chapters and course modules from the content system
  • List of statutes, standards and guidance relied on
  • Reference lists per title

The unit of work

One worker task per one changed source paired with one dependent passage.

Why a swarm fits

A large backlist depends on many outside sources, but one change touches few passages. Each check needs the old and new source text and one passage, so only the affected pairs are reread.

Not for

Deciding how to rewrite a chapter. It flags dependent passages; the author and editor decide the revision.

The decision tree

5 typed decisions, each with an action for every answer

At fixed moments in a run, the engine puts one narrow question to a decision model. The decision model never writes text: it answers yes or no with a probability, picks from listed options, or gives a score, about a small slice of the material. The engine then does exactly what this tree says, which is what makes the run auditable. The thresholds are the template's design values, not measured results.

  1. Planner, while planning

    Scope checkA choice among options

    Before work starts on a unit

    Does the new version of this statute, standard or guidance change a rule, figure, definition or procedure, rather than its layout or numbering?

    Sees only: The old and new text of one changed provision

    Why: A renumbered standard should not trigger a reread of the backlist.

    • Substance changedthenAccept
    • Form onlythenSkip this unit
    • Source could not be comparedthenMark unresolved

  2. After workers, the judge checks

    Evidence checkYes or no, with a probability

    After a worker answers

    Does the quoted chapter or module passage cite or paraphrase the specific provision that changed?

    Sees only: The old provision text and one quoted passage from a chapter or module

    Why: Paraphrased dependencies are easy to imagine and must be confirmed before they enter the map.

    • Yes: 0.85 or higherthenAccept
    • Unsure: 0.50 up to 0.85thenEscalate to a strong model
    • No: below 0.50thenReject and retry

  3. Reconciler, while merging

    Conflict checkA choice among options

    While reconciling

    Does the passage now teach something the new provision no longer says?

    Sees only: The new provision text and one dependent passage

    Why: Distinguishes content that is wrong from content that merely cites an old edition.

    • Now outdatedthenMark unresolved
    • Still correctthenAccept
    • Correct but cites the old versionthenMark unresolved
    • Cannot tell from the textthenEscalate to a strong model

  4. Run control, between rounds

    Another round?Yes or no, with a probability

    Between rounds

    Is the outdated passage reused in course modules or other titles that have not yet been checked?

    Sees only: One outdated passage and the content system's record of where it is reused

    Why: Follows reuse so that a fix reaches every place the passage lives.

    • Yes: 0.60 or higherthenContinue
    • Unsure: 0.30 up to 0.60thenContinue
    • No: below 0.30thenStop

  5. Accountable person, before anything is settled

    Person decidesYes or no, with a probability

    Before anything is reported as settled

    Does this currency note report a passage that now teaches readers something outdated about law, safety or professional practice?

    Sees only: One currency note with old and new source text and the passage

    Why: The commissioning editor and author decide on revision, erratum or reprint.

    Accountable: The commissioning editor and author decide each revision, erratum or reprint.

    • Yes: 0.30 or higherthenAsk a person
    • Unsure: 0.10 up to 0.30thenAsk a person
    • No: below 0.10thenAccept

The fleet: who does what

Model tiers by role, not brands: you choose the models. Strong reasoning models plan and reconcile, small fast models do the wide work, and the judge is a decision model from a different family, so it does not share the workers' blind spots.

  1. Planner

    A strong reasoning model keeps the map from outside sources to the passages that cite or paraphrase them.

    Decisions here:1. Scope check

  2. Workers

    Small fast workers from an open-weight family, one per changed source and dependent passage.

    Designed for 20 to 600 agents, one worker task per one changed source paired with one dependent passage. Each worker receives only its own unit.

  3. Judge, from a different model family

    A decision model from a different family checks that the passage now disagrees with the changed source.

    Decisions here:2. Evidence check

  4. Reconciler

    A strong reasoning model issues one currency note per title and ranks nothing; editors set priorities.

    Decisions here:3. Conflict check4. Another round?

  5. Accountable person

    The commissioning editor and author decide each revision, erratum or reprint.

    Decisions here:5. Person decides

Checked before anything is accepted

  • Each stale finding quotes the old source, the new source and the passage
  • Paraphrased dependencies are confirmed by a second worker before being mapped
  • Passages that remain correct after the change are listed as checked
  • Sources that could not be fetched are reported, not assumed unchanged

What comes back

  • Currency note per title: passages made stale, with quotes
  • Course modules built on the same passages
  • Passages checked and still correct
  • Sources the watch could not reach

What to measure

  • Time from a source change to the editor being told
  • Stale passages reported by readers before the watch caught them
  • Share of flagged passages editors agree need revision
  • Cost per title watched per period

Names of measures only. No result is claimed for this template.

Templates open in the workspace chat with the ask filled in. Nothing runs until you send it.

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