Evidence receipts

A compliance answer you can defend has three parts: the exact quote, proof it's current, and a way to verify it. That's an evidence receipt — returned with every searchKnowledge / KNOWLEDGE_SEARCH result.

The contract: cite → verify → answer

Cite

Use a result and keep its evidenceId. It's durable and reusable across sessions — carry it into your final answer's audit trail.

Check the guidance

Each response includes deterministic agentGuidance — whether you can answer directly, whether a structured tool is better, the evidence confidence, and the currentness state. It's computed from release metadata, not guessed by a model.

Verify before answering

Call verifyKnowledgeAnswer({ evidenceIds }) (or KNOWLEDGE_VERIFY_ANSWER). Deterministic and auditable — no hidden LLM judgment. If it doesn't verify, don't answer.

Why it matters

An evidence receipt is the difference between a compliance answer you can defend in front of a regulator and one you can't. Treat verification as required, not optional.

The fields you'll use

Field	Use it for
`evidenceId`	Cite it; pass it to `verifyKnowledgeAnswer`.
`exactQuote` + `sourceUrl`	Show the user the precise text and where it came from.
`amendmentState`	Confirm the rule is `current`.
`legallyBinding`	Whether the source is binding (statute/notification) or advisory.

Amendment trails

When an answer depends on whether a rule is the current one, call getKnowledgeAmendmentTrail (or KNOWLEDGE_GET_AMENDMENT_TRAIL) to walk the lineage — what amended, superseded, or clarified a block, with effective dates and the evidence for each edge.

Full shape (reference)

KnowledgeEvidenceReceipt

{
  "evidenceId": "kref_...",
  "knowledgePackKey": "in.business_compliance.authority",
  "releaseKey": "central-ef-v6",
  "canonicalId": "cbic:gst:notif:2024:01",
  "exactQuote": "The rate of tax shall be ...",
  "sourceUrl": "https://cbic-gst.gov.in/...",
  "sourceClass": "notification",
  "legallyBinding": true,
  "amendmentState": "current",
  "allowedClaimScopes": ["statutory_rule"],
  "evidenceHash": "sha256:...",
  "status": "verified"
}