---
title: "Choose what to check next."
description: "Identify the missing evidence that could change your interpretation, then choose a permitted source to check."
updated: "27 August 2026"
candidate_route: "/docs/harbinger/guides/choose-next-question"
---

# Choose what to check next.

Identify the missing evidence that could change your interpretation, then choose a permitted source to check.

## Choose a source for the most important gap

1. **Return to the original scope** — Prevent interesting new material from silently replacing the question.
2. **Find the material gap** — Identify what could change the current interpretation.
3. **Choose an available source** — Use only a path permitted by the current authority and time budget.
4. **State the stopping rule** — Define when absence, scope, or authority requires the inquiry to stop.

## The next inquiry is not a decision

Record the object, evidence, time window, and reason for checking. Do not express the handoff as approval, recommendation, or action.

---

Published route: /docs/harbinger/guides/choose-next-question