LLM Pattern Selection — Decision Tree

For using LLMs as engineering components, not chat interfaces.

The Rule

LLMs are non-deterministic functions with natural-language interfaces and token-budget constraints. Every pattern in this pack addresses a specific pain that arises from treating an LLM as a software component — not from the LLM itself being "wrong," but from the integration being naive.

Name the pain before naming the pattern.

The Decision Tree

Is the pain about output quality or correctness?