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The Process Verifier ensures AI-driven workflows follow deterministic process steps — not just correct answers, but correct procedures. It moves verification from “black box” (output only) to “glass box” (reasoning trace).

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When to use

Use the Process Verifier when you need to:
  • Verify that AI reasoning follows required steps (IRAC, scientific method, etc.)
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks that mandate structured analysis
  • Validate that intermediate milestones are present in agent reasoning
  • Audit AI decision-making processes for completeness

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IRAC structure verification

IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion) is a legal reasoning framework. The Process Verifier checks that all four components are present in a reasoning trace. 
from qwed_new.guards.process_guard import ProcessVerifier

verifier = ProcessVerifier()

reasoning = """
The issue presented is whether the contract was breached.

The rule governing this matter is Article 2 of the UCC, which states
that a breach occurs when a party fails to perform as promised.

In applying this rule to the facts, the defendant delivered goods 
two weeks after the agreed date, which constitutes non-performance.

In conclusion, the contract was breached due to late delivery.
"""

result = verifier.verify_irac_structure(reasoning)

print(result["verified"])      # True
print(result["score"])         # 1.0
print(result["missing_steps"]) # []

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Partial compliance

When not all IRAC steps are present, the verifier returns a decimal score and lists missing steps: 
incomplete_reasoning = """
The question is whether damages should be awarded.
Based on my analysis, the plaintiff is entitled to compensation.
"""

result = verifier.verify_irac_structure(incomplete_reasoning)

print(result["verified"])      # False
print(result["score"])         # 0.5 (2 of 4 steps)
print(result["missing_steps"]) # ["rule", "application"]

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Milestone verification

For custom process requirements, use verify_trace to check for required keywords or milestones: 
from qwed_new.guards.process_guard import ProcessVerifier

verifier = ProcessVerifier()

ai_reasoning = """
Step 1: Risk assessment complete - identified 3 critical risks.
Step 2: Compliance check passed - all requirements met.
Step 3: Stakeholder review - all parties approved.
Step 4: Implementation timeline defined - 6 week rollout.
"""

required_milestones = [
    "risk assessment",
    "compliance check", 
    "stakeholder",
    "implementation"
]

result = verifier.verify_trace(ai_reasoning, required_milestones)

print(result["verified"])          # True
print(result["process_rate"])      # 1.0
print(result["missed_milestones"]) # []

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Process rate calculation

The process rate is the fraction of required milestones found: 
partial_reasoning = """
We conducted a risk assessment and defined the timeline.
"""

result = verifier.verify_trace(partial_reasoning, [
    "risk assessment",
    "compliance check",
    "stakeholder review", 
    "timeline"
])

print(result["verified"])          # False
print(result["process_rate"])      # 0.5 (2 of 4 milestones)
print(result["missed_milestones"]) # ["compliance check", "stakeholder review"]

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Response fields

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verify_irac_structure response

FieldTypeDescription
verifiedboolTrue if all 4 IRAC steps are present
scorefloatDecimal score from 0.0 to 1.0 (steps found / 4)
missing_stepslist[str]List of missing IRAC components
mechanismstrAlways "Regex Pattern Matching (Deterministic)"

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verify_trace response

FieldTypeDescription
verifiedboolTrue if all milestones are present
process_ratefloatDecimal score from 0.0 to 1.0 (found / total)
missed_milestoneslist[str]List of missing milestones

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Determinism

The Process Verifier uses regex pattern matching and keyword search — no LLM calls. All results are 100% reproducible:
  • Same input always produces the same output
  • Scores use Python’s Decimal type for exact arithmetic
  • No probabilistic components
result = verifier.verify_irac_structure(reasoning)
print(result["mechanism"])  # "Regex Pattern Matching (Deterministic)"

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Use cases

Ensure AI-generated legal analysis follows required structure: 
def review_legal_memo(memo: str) -> dict:
    result = verifier.verify_irac_structure(memo)
    if not result["verified"]:
        raise ValueError(f"Missing steps: {result['missing_steps']}")
    return result

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Audit workflows

Validate that AI agents complete required checkpoints: 
audit_milestones = [
    "data validation",
    "anomaly detection",
    "risk scoring",
    "supervisor approval"
]

def audit_agent_trace(trace: str) -> bool:
    result = verifier.verify_trace(trace, audit_milestones)
    return result["process_rate"] >= 0.75  # 75% threshold

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Medical reasoning

Verify diagnostic reasoning includes required considerations: 
diagnostic_steps = [
    "patient history",
    "differential diagnosis",
    "test results",
    "treatment plan"
]

result = verifier.verify_trace(medical_reasoning, diagnostic_steps)

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Integration with guards

Use Process Verifier alongside other QWED guards for comprehensive agent verification: 
from qwed_new.guards.process_guard import ProcessVerifier
from qwed_sdk.guards import SelfInitiatedCoTGuard

# Verify reasoning structure
process_verifier = ProcessVerifier()
irac_result = process_verifier.verify_irac_structure(agent_trace)

# Verify reasoning integrity
cot_guard = SelfInitiatedCoTGuard(required_elements=["risk", "compliance"])
cot_result = cot_guard.verify_autonomous_path(agent_trace)

# Both must pass
if irac_result["verified"] and cot_result["verified"]:
    execute_action()

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Next steps

SDK Guards

Agentic security guards for AI pipelines

Determinism guarantee

How QWED ensures reproducible results

Agent verification

Pre-execution checks for AI agents

Reasoning engine

Chain-of-thought validation