# Evidence Chain Checklist

## Query design
- Does the query reflect the real user need?
- Is the query rewritten or expanded only when necessary?
- Are there filters for source type, tenant, date, or access scope?

## Retrieval quality
- Are top results actually relevant?
- Is the result set too broad or too thin?
- Is reranking needed?
- Are noisy chunks being injected?

## Provenance and freshness
- Does every critical claim have a visible source?
- Is source metadata retained?
- Is source freshness checked for time-sensitive answers?
- Can the user inspect where the answer came from?

## Injection and contamination
- Can retrieved text override system behavior?
- Are untrusted documents clearly treated as evidence, not instructions?

## Final answer behavior
- Does the answer mention uncertainty when evidence is weak?
- Does the answer avoid inventing citations?
- Does the workflow degrade safely if retrieval is poor?

## Final call
- Pass / conditional pass / fail
- Notes:
