Metric Traits¶

Metric traits use the parsing model as a bucket assigner to turn a response into confusion-list buckets, then compute deterministic metrics from those buckets. They are the rubric trait type for countable coverage and absence checks: use them when you already know the concrete items a good answer should include or avoid, and you want signals such as precision, recall, F1, specificity, or accuracy. For an overview of all rubric trait types, see the rubrics index.

1. What Metric Traits Are¶

A MetricRubricTrait evaluates a response during RubricEvaluation of the verification pipeline. Unlike other trait types that return a single boolean or score, metric traits return a dictionary of metrics computed from confusion-list buckets.

Metric traits are meant for evaluations you can decompose into a small checklist of countable items. Typical examples include whether a biomedical answer mentions the expected entities, covers the canonical papers, states the key mechanism claims, or avoids a known set of false statements.

Use MetricRubricTrait when the evaluation is best expressed as: "Here are the items that should be present, and maybe here are the items that should not be present." If the check requires a holistic judgment like clarity or tone, prefer LLM traits. If the check can be expressed as an exact pattern or local Python function, prefer Regex traits or Callable traits.

1.1 Philosophy¶

The most important idea is that the instruction lists are the evaluation spec. The metric names do not define your rubric. precision, recall, and f1 only tell Karenina how to summarize the buckets after assignment. The real scoring surface is:

tp_instructions: the items that should be present
tn_instructions: the items that should be absent in full_matrix mode
description: optional scope or domain context

That means good metric traits define countable, observable units:

one fact, entity, reference, or claim per instruction
the same level of granularity across the list
boundaries clear enough that one answer snippet matches at most one intended instruction

The abstraction boundary. Metric traits are strongest when the evaluation question is "how much of this checklist was covered?" or "did any of these known-wrong claims appear?" They are weaker fits for open-ended correctness or overall answer quality.

Better fit for Metric Traits	Better fit for other tools
"How many expected references did the answer cover?"	"Is the answer clear and well organized?" → LLM trait
"Did the answer mention the expected entities and avoid these known false claims?"	"Does the answer match a citation format exactly?" → Regex trait
"What fraction of the expected checklist items were present?"	"Did the parsed answer match the gold structured fields?" → template verification

A useful litmus test: if you can write the evaluation as a short checklist of atomic items and you care about coverage-style metrics over that checklist, a metric trait is probably the right abstraction.

2. Overview¶

Metric-trait evaluation has two parts:

The parsing model reads the question, the raw response trace, and your instructions, then assigns content to confusion-list buckets.
Karenina computes the requested metrics programmatically from the bucket counts.

This split matters: the bucket assignment is LLM-based, but the math is deterministic. If the same confusion lists are produced again, the metric values will be identical.

Two modes are available:

Mode	You define	Karenina can compute	Best For
`tp_only`	What should be present	`precision`, `recall`, `f1`	Extraction coverage and expected-item recall
`full_matrix`	What should be present and what should not be present	`precision`, `recall`, `specificity`, `accuracy`, `f1`	Coverage plus factual exclusion checks

In both modes, Karenina stores the derived metrics in VerificationResult.rubric.metric_trait_scores and the underlying buckets in VerificationResult.rubric.metric_trait_confusion_lists.

Field	Type	Default	Description
`name`	`str`	(required)	Human-readable identifier
`description`	`str \\| None`	`None`	Optional scope or evaluator context
`evaluation_mode`	`Literal["tp_only", "full_matrix"]`	`"tp_only"`	Whether you define only TP instructions or both TP and TN
`metrics`	`list[str]`	(required)	Metrics to compute for this trait
`tp_instructions`	`list[str]`	(required)	Items that should be present in the answer
`tn_instructions`	`list[str]`	`[]`	Items that should not be present; required in `full_matrix` mode
`repeated_extraction`	`bool`	`True`	Deduplicate repeated excerpts using case-insensitive exact matching

Metric traits do not use higher_is_better; the returned metrics are inherently interpreted as "higher is better."

3. Why the Instruction Lists Matter¶

For metric traits, the instruction lists are the scoring surface. The parsing model does not infer your rubric from the metric names alone; it relies on tp_instructions, tn_instructions, and optionally description to understand what counts.

Previous Stages
                  │
                  ▼
┌─── RubricEvaluation ─────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                      │
│  Question + Response Trace + TP/TN Instructions      │
│                     │                                │
│                     ▼                                │
│          ┌──────────────────┐                        │
│          │   Parsing Model  │  ← System: evaluator   │
│          │    (LLM call)    │     role               │
│          │                  │  ← User: question +    │
│          │                  │    trace + TP/TN instr.│
│          └────────┬─────────┘                        │
│                   ▼                                  │
│  Confusion lists: TP / FN / FP / TN                  │
│                   │                                  │
│                   ▼                                  │
│  Deterministic metric computation                    │
│  (precision, recall, F1, specificity, accuracy)      │
└───────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┘
                    │
                    ▼
FinalizeResult
  → VerificationResult.rubric.metric_trait_scores
  → VerificationResult.rubric.metric_trait_confusion_lists

Metric traits skip stage 12 (DeepJudgmentRubric), which applies only to LLM traits with deep judgment enabled.

The description field is useful, but it is supporting context, not the main scoring mechanism. Use it to narrow scope or explain domain context; use the instruction lists to define what is actually counted.

Good instruction lists are:

Atomic: each instruction represents one countable thing.
Observable: the evaluator can decide from the response text alone.
Non-overlapping: one answer excerpt should not satisfy many nearly identical instructions.
Consistent in granularity: avoid mixing tiny facts with very broad requirements in the same trait.

Strong:

"Mentions BCL2"
"States that BCL2 inhibits apoptosis"
"States BCL2 is on chromosome 18"

Weak:

"Covers the biology well"
"Is scientifically thorough"
"Talks about the important details"

4. Canonical Worked Example¶

The easiest way to understand metric traits is to follow one trait all the way from instruction lists to buckets to metrics.

Suppose the question is:

"Briefly describe BCL2 and why it matters in cancer."

And the answer says:

"BCL2 is an anti-apoptotic gene that helps cells survive and is important in cancer. It is located on chromosome 1."

4.1 TP-Only Version¶

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from karenina.schemas import MetricRubricTrait

coverage_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="BCL2 Coverage",
    description="Check whether the answer covers the core canonical BCL2 facts.",
    evaluation_mode="tp_only",
    metrics=["precision", "recall", "f1"],
    tp_instructions=[
        "Mentions BCL2 gene",
        "States that BCL2 inhibits apoptosis",
        "References cancer relevance",
        "States BCL2 is on chromosome 18",
    ],
)

print(coverage_trait.get_required_buckets())
from karenina.schemas import MetricRubricTrait

coverage_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="BCL2 Coverage",
    description="Check whether the answer covers the core canonical BCL2 facts.",
    evaluation_mode="tp_only",
    metrics=["precision", "recall", "f1"],
    tp_instructions=[
        "Mentions BCL2 gene",
        "States that BCL2 inhibits apoptosis",
        "References cancer relevance",
        "States BCL2 is on chromosome 18",
    ],
)

print(coverage_trait.get_required_buckets())

A reasonable bucket assignment for the answer above is:

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tp_only_confusion_lists = {
    "BCL2 Coverage": {
        "tp": [
            "BCL2 is an anti-apoptotic gene",
            "helps cells survive",
            "is important in cancer",
        ],
        "fn": ["States BCL2 is on chromosome 18"],
        "fp": ["It is located on chromosome 1"],
        "tn": [],
    }
}
tp_only_confusion_lists = {
    "BCL2 Coverage": {
        "tp": [
            "BCL2 is an anti-apoptotic gene",
            "helps cells survive",
            "is important in cancer",
        ],
        "fn": ["States BCL2 is on chromosome 18"],
        "fp": ["It is located on chromosome 1"],
        "tn": [],
    }
}

This yields:

TP = 3
FN = 1
FP = 1
Precision = 3 / (3 + 1) = 0.75
Recall = 3 / (3 + 1) = 0.75
F1 = 0.75

This example shows an important point: in tp_only mode, FP does not mean every extra sentence. It means answer content that appears to be trying to satisfy the TP instruction set, but is wrong for that set. The incorrect chromosome claim is a meaningful FP because it is a candidate answer to one of the same factual slots the TP list is measuring.

4.2 Full-Matrix Version¶

Now extend the same trait with explicit wrong claims:

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accuracy_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="BCL2 Accuracy",
    description="Check for the core BCL2 facts and known false statements.",
    evaluation_mode="full_matrix",
    metrics=["precision", "recall", "specificity", "accuracy", "f1"],
    tp_instructions=[
        "Mentions BCL2 gene",
        "States that BCL2 inhibits apoptosis",
        "References cancer relevance",
        "States BCL2 is on chromosome 18",
    ],
    tn_instructions=[
        "States BCL2 is on chromosome 1",
        "Claims BCL2 is pro-apoptotic",
    ],
)

print(accuracy_trait.get_required_buckets())
accuracy_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="BCL2 Accuracy",
    description="Check for the core BCL2 facts and known false statements.",
    evaluation_mode="full_matrix",
    metrics=["precision", "recall", "specificity", "accuracy", "f1"],
    tp_instructions=[
        "Mentions BCL2 gene",
        "States that BCL2 inhibits apoptosis",
        "References cancer relevance",
        "States BCL2 is on chromosome 18",
    ],
    tn_instructions=[
        "States BCL2 is on chromosome 1",
        "Claims BCL2 is pro-apoptotic",
    ],
)

print(accuracy_trait.get_required_buckets())

For the same answer, a reasonable bucket assignment is:

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full_matrix_confusion_lists = {
    "BCL2 Accuracy": {
        "tp": [
            "BCL2 is an anti-apoptotic gene",
            "helps cells survive",
            "is important in cancer",
        ],
        "fn": ["States BCL2 is on chromosome 18"],
        "fp": ["It is located on chromosome 1"],
        "tn": ["Claims BCL2 is pro-apoptotic"],
    }
}
full_matrix_confusion_lists = {
    "BCL2 Accuracy": {
        "tp": [
            "BCL2 is an anti-apoptotic gene",
            "helps cells survive",
            "is important in cancer",
        ],
        "fn": ["States BCL2 is on chromosome 18"],
        "fp": ["It is located on chromosome 1"],
        "tn": ["Claims BCL2 is pro-apoptotic"],
    }
}

This yields:

TP = 3
FN = 1
FP = 1
TN = 1
Precision = 3 / (3 + 1) = 0.75
Recall = 3 / (3 + 1) = 0.75
Specificity = 1 / (1 + 1) = 0.50
Accuracy = (3 + 1) / (3 + 1 + 1 + 1) = 4 / 6
F1 = 0.75

The extra signal in full_matrix mode is that the evaluator now has an explicit negative set. Instead of merely treating the wrong chromosome claim as a bad candidate match, it can recognize it as one of the concrete claims that should not appear.

5. TP-Only Mode¶

In tp_only mode, you define what should appear in the answer. The parsing model then separates the response into three usable buckets:

TP (True Positive): answer content that correctly matches a TP instruction
FN (False Negative): expected content from the TP instructions that is missing
FP (False Positive): answer content that looks like a candidate match in the same domain but should not count

Available metrics: precision, recall, f1

This mode is best when you care about coverage of expected items and do not need an explicit list of forbidden claims.

5.1 Writing Good TP Instructions¶

A good TP list defines the target set clearly enough that recall and precision are interpretable.

Use one instruction per target fact, entity, reference, or concept.
Write instructions at the same level of specificity.
Prefer concrete language over umbrella phrases.
Avoid pairs like "Mentions BCL2" and "Discusses BCL2" in the same trait unless they really mean different things.

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reference_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="Reference Coverage",
    description="Check whether the answer covers the canonical papers for this topic.",
    evaluation_mode="tp_only",
    metrics=["precision", "recall", "f1"],
    tp_instructions=[
        "Mentions Tsujimoto et al., Science, 1985",
        "Mentions Hockenbery et al., Nature, 1990",
        "Mentions Adams & Cory, Science, 1998",
    ],
)

print(reference_trait.get_required_buckets())
reference_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="Reference Coverage",
    description="Check whether the answer covers the canonical papers for this topic.",
    evaluation_mode="tp_only",
    metrics=["precision", "recall", "f1"],
    tp_instructions=[
        "Mentions Tsujimoto et al., Science, 1985",
        "Mentions Hockenbery et al., Nature, 1990",
        "Mentions Adams & Cory, Science, 1998",
    ],
)

print(reference_trait.get_required_buckets())

5.2 Metric Formulas in `tp_only` Mode¶

Metric	Formula	Interpretation
Precision	TP / (TP + FP)	Of the candidate matches the evaluator accepted or rejected, how many were correct?
Recall	TP / (TP + FN)	Of the expected items, how many were found?
F1	2 * P * R / (P + R)	Balanced summary of precision and recall

6. Full Matrix Mode¶

In full_matrix mode, you define both what should appear and what should not appear. This gives the evaluator an explicit negative set and unlocks specificity and accuracy.

TP (True Positive): answer content that matches a TP instruction
FN (False Negative): TP instruction content that is missing
TN (True Negative): TN instructions that are correctly absent
FP (False Positive): answer content that matches a TN instruction and therefore should not be present

Available metrics: precision, recall, specificity, accuracy, f1

Use this mode when absence matters, for example factual accuracy, prohibited claims, or mutually exclusive alternatives.

6.1 Writing Good TN Instructions¶

TN instructions should capture concrete wrong claims, not vague badness.

Strong:

"Claims BCL2 is pro-apoptotic"
"States BCL2 is on chromosome 1"

Weak:

"Contains inaccurate biology"
"Says something wrong"

Good TN instructions are explicit enough that the evaluator can recognize both the presence and the absence of the claim.

6.2 Additional Metrics in `full_matrix` Mode¶

Metric	Formula	Interpretation
Specificity	TN / (TN + FP)	Of the things that should be absent, how many actually stayed absent?
Accuracy	(TP + TN) / (TP + TN + FP + FN)	Overall correctness across both expected and forbidden items

7. Choosing a Mode¶

Scenario	Mode	Why
Check whether key entities or references were mentioned	`tp_only`	You care about expected coverage, not explicit forbidden claims
Measure extraction quality against a known answer set	`tp_only`	Precision, recall, and F1 usually give the right signal
Detect both correct facts and known false claims	`full_matrix`	You need an explicit negative set
Evaluate factual accuracy where incorrect assertions matter	`full_matrix`	Specificity and accuracy depend on TN instructions

If you are unsure, start with tp_only. Move to full_matrix when you can clearly enumerate the important wrong claims you want to guard against.

8. The `repeated_extraction` Field¶

By default, repeated_extraction=True deduplicates each confusion-list bucket using case-insensitive exact matching. This prevents repeated excerpts from inflating metric counts.

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dedup_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="Entity Check",
    evaluation_mode="tp_only",
    metrics=["precision", "recall"],
    tp_instructions=["Mentions mitochondria", "Mentions apoptosis"],
    repeated_extraction=True,
)

no_dedup_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="Entity Frequency",
    evaluation_mode="tp_only",
    metrics=["precision", "recall"],
    tp_instructions=["Mentions mitochondria", "Mentions apoptosis"],
    repeated_extraction=False,
)
dedup_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="Entity Check",
    evaluation_mode="tp_only",
    metrics=["precision", "recall"],
    tp_instructions=["Mentions mitochondria", "Mentions apoptosis"],
    repeated_extraction=True,
)

no_dedup_trait = MetricRubricTrait(
    name="Entity Frequency",
    evaluation_mode="tp_only",
    metrics=["precision", "recall"],
    tp_instructions=["Mentions mitochondria", "Mentions apoptosis"],
    repeated_extraction=False,
)

Leave deduplication enabled unless repeated occurrences are genuinely part of what you want to count.

9. Results and Validation¶

Metric trait outputs are stored separately from other rubric trait types:

VerificationResult.rubric.metric_trait_scores: metric values per trait
VerificationResult.rubric.metric_trait_confusion_lists: raw TP/TN/FP/FN lists per trait

The exact strings in those lists may be answer excerpts (tp, fp) or instruction-derived items (fn, tn), depending on the bucket. This makes it possible to inspect not just the metric values, but why those values were produced.

Metric traits enforce validation when you construct them:

tp_instructions must always be non-empty
tn_instructions must be non-empty in full_matrix mode
metric names must be valid
specificity and accuracy are not allowed in tp_only mode

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from pydantic import ValidationError

try:
    MetricRubricTrait(
        name="invalid",
        evaluation_mode="tp_only",
        metrics=["specificity"],
        tp_instructions=["Mentions BCL2"],
    )
except ValidationError:
    print("specificity requires full_matrix mode")

try:
    MetricRubricTrait(
        name="invalid",
        evaluation_mode="full_matrix",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        tp_instructions=["Mentions BCL2"],
    )
except ValidationError:
    print("full_matrix mode requires tn_instructions")
from pydantic import ValidationError

try:
    MetricRubricTrait(
        name="invalid",
        evaluation_mode="tp_only",
        metrics=["specificity"],
        tp_instructions=["Mentions BCL2"],
    )
except ValidationError:
    print("specificity requires full_matrix mode")

try:
    MetricRubricTrait(
        name="invalid",
        evaluation_mode="full_matrix",
        metrics=["accuracy"],
        tp_instructions=["Mentions BCL2"],
    )
except ValidationError:
    print("full_matrix mode requires tn_instructions")

Metric traits are added to a Rubric through the metric_traits field:

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from karenina.schemas import Rubric

rubric = Rubric(metric_traits=[coverage_trait, accuracy_trait])
print(rubric.get_metric_trait_names())
from karenina.schemas import Rubric

rubric = Rubric(metric_traits=[coverage_trait, accuracy_trait])
print(rubric.get_metric_trait_names())

10. Next Steps¶

LLM Rubric Traits: open-ended boolean, score, and literal judgments
Regex Traits: deterministic pattern matching on response text
Callable Traits: custom local Python evaluation logic
Templates vs rubrics: choosing between correctness checks and rubric-style evaluation
Rubrics Overview: when to use each trait type

Metric Traits¶

1. What Metric Traits Are¶

1.1 Philosophy¶

2. Overview¶

3. Why the Instruction Lists Matter¶

4. Canonical Worked Example¶

4.1 TP-Only Version¶

4.2 Full-Matrix Version¶

5. TP-Only Mode¶

5.1 Writing Good TP Instructions¶

5.2 Metric Formulas in tp_only Mode¶

6. Full Matrix Mode¶

6.1 Writing Good TN Instructions¶

6.2 Additional Metrics in full_matrix Mode¶

7. Choosing a Mode¶

8. The repeated_extraction Field¶

9. Results and Validation¶

10. Next Steps¶

5.2 Metric Formulas in `tp_only` Mode¶

6.2 Additional Metrics in `full_matrix` Mode¶

8. The `repeated_extraction` Field¶