BetaEngineering4 min read
Grounding rules: search results beat memory
When live sources and internal knowledge disagree, we have a clear rule — and we surface the conflict instead of hiding it.
By The MasterNode Team · Engineering
Grounding isn't just about having sources — it's about a consistent policy for what wins when sources disagree. Without one, models quietly blend stale training data with fresh search results and produce confident nonsense.
The rules
- Verified web results override internal memory, always.
- Conflicting sources are reported as a conflict — not silently merged.
- Facts from unrelated sources are never stitched into one claim.
- If nothing verifies, the answer says the information is unverified.
Citations you can check
Answers link back to the sources they used, with the site's own icon, so you can verify a claim in one click instead of trusting a footnote number.
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