Skip to main content
RAG and QWED address different failure modes. RAG improves what the model can reference. QWED verifies whether the model’s final claim or action is correct.

​
Core difference

ToolPrimary jobBest at
RAGRetrieve contextPrivate knowledge, recent information, document grounding
QWEDVerify outputsDeterministic validation, policy enforcement, tool-call checks

​
When RAG is enough

Use RAG when the model needs:
  • Access to private documents
  • Recent facts or changing policies
  • Better grounding from source material

​
When you need QWED

Use QWED when the model must:
  • Produce correct calculations from retrieved data
  • Obey policy and approval rules
  • Verify tool calls before execution
  • Prevent prompt injection from turning retrieved context into unsafe actions

​
Best-practice stack

Use both together:
  1. RAG retrieves the relevant documents.
  2. QWED verifies the answer, decision, or action derived from those documents.