The answer cache

decide keeps every answer it gets, and asks again only about what changed. Run a template a second time over the same files and nothing is sent:

✓ 41212 answered  ! 3 flagged  48s
  81974 answers from cache · 450 asked

The line counts answers, one for each question about each item, so an item can have some answers from the cache and others asked.

An answer is reused only for the same question about the same text, sent to the same provider and address, with the same model name. Each question is kept on its own, so adding a question to a template asks only that one. A question is known by its key and its full definition, so changing its wording or options, or renaming its key, asks it again. Flags and --fail-on are worked out from the answers on each run, so changing a threshold asks nothing again.

With --json, each result lists in cached the questions whose answers came from the cache. request_id and model describe the request the run sent for the item, and are left out when every answer came from the cache.

--dry-run says how many answers the cache already holds:

41212 items · 81974 answers in the cache · 450 to ask

The cache is keyed by the model name you ask for, such as jev-latest or clef. Each answer also notes the model version that gave it, when the provider names one. When a live answer shows that the model behind the name changed, older answers are asked again, including the cached answers of the item that showed it. A run where everything is cached sends no request, so it can’t see an upgrade: run with --no-cache to ask fresh, or name an exact version, such as --model jev-1.13.0, to pin answers to it. Workers AI names no version, so Clef answers stay until --no-cache.

--no-cache asks every question again, and keeps the new answers in place of the old. runs resume keeps the setting of the run it resumes.

The cache is the folder ~/.decide/cache, readable only by you. It holds hashes and answers, never your text, file names, or images. Several decide processes can use it at once. Delete the folder to clear it. If it can’t be read or written, decide warns and asks every question.