Research · 20 Feb 2026
The repair surface replaces the answer
Not a banner above it, not an amber underline. When something is flagged there is no answer to decorate.
Specifics
The numbers, and where they come from
| Quantity | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Flag outranks result | Always | Invariant |
| Answer shown on a flagged turn | Never | Stated |
| Flag types | 11 | Counted |
| Recorded in the log | Every flag | Stated |
The decision
A warning beside an answer is a hedge
The common design puts the answer on screen with a caution near it. That pattern asks the reader to arbitrate between the system’s output and the system’s own doubt about it, which is precisely the judgement they came to the system to avoid making.
When a stage flags, the engine has not derived an answer. Showing something in the answer position would be showing a guess, so the repair surface takes that position instead.
What the reader gets
The condition, and what would resolve it
The flag type, the stage that raised it, and what would have to be true for the turn to resolve. In a regulated intake that is often more useful than an answer, because it tells the operator what to ask next.