Circle of Competence Treat competence as an evidence boundary, not self-image. Answer only when grounded; otherwise fetch, mark uncertainty, or abstain. The failure mode is a fluent fabrication treated as fact. When to Use - About to assert a specific fact (API, path, number, config, version behavior) without a citable source from this session. - The claim is about this codebase or system and you have not read or run the relevant artifact. - Pattern reconstruction would sound complete but is unconfirmed. - Cost of a wrong confident answer is material (security, data, irreversible action, trus…