POSTEL — The Robustness Principle

"Be conservative in what you send, liberal in what you accept." — Jon Postel, RFC 761 (1980)

What Is It?

POSTEL is how MOOLLM handles ambiguity, errors, and incomplete instructions:

Instead of failing, find the best possible interpretation that:

1. Accomplishes the likely intent
2. Respects stated constraints
3. Preserves user autonomy
4. Fails gracefully if truly impossible

Also known as:

• The Robustness Principle