Agent skill

Dspy Output Refinement Constraints

by OmidZamani in OmidZamani/dspy-skills

A skill your agent uses for dspy.Refine, dspy.BestOfN, output constraints, validation, reward functions, and iterative output refinement.

MITAuto-check passed

Install Dspy Output Refinement Constraints

skills CLI
$ npx skills add OmidZamani/dspy-skills --skill dspy-output-refinement-constraints -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install OmidZamani/dspy-skills dspy-output-refinement-constraints --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/OmidZamani/dspy-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints .claude/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
dspy-output-refinement-constraints
GitHub stars
123
Token cost
~1.7k tokens
SKILL.md length
249 words
Files
2
Skills in repo
17
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

A skill your agent uses for dspy.Refine, dspy.BestOfN, output constraints, validation, reward functions, and iterative output refinement.

  • Works in 3 steps: dspy.Refine for Iterative Improvement → dspy.BestOfN for Selection → Multi-Constraint Reward Functions
  • Output constraints
  • SKILL.md covers Goal, When to Use, Related Skills and Inputs, plus 7 more sections
  • Runs Python scripts from its folder

What it does

Dspy Output Refinement Constraints is an agent skill from OmidZamani/dspy-skills. Use for dspy.Refine, dspy.BestOfN, output constraints, validation, reward functions, and iterative output refinement.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.7k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file (for example `example.py`).

The repository describes itself as: Collection of Claude Skills for DSPy framework - program language models, optimize prompts, and build RAG pipelines systematically. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Output constraints
  • Reward functions
  • Iterative output refinement

Example prompts

  • “/dspy-output-refinement-constraints”

Requirements

  • Python 3
  • Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Read, Write, Glob, Grep

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. dspy.Refine for Iterative Improvement
  2. dspy.BestOfN for Selection
  3. Multi-Constraint Reward Functions

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit f5db3b7. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

    • Read
    • Write
    • Glob
    • Grep

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships script files (Python), which the agent can run.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • dspy.ai
    • github.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Dspy Output Refinement Constraints loads about 1.7k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 38 tokens; SKILL.md has 249 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~38
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.7k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from OmidZamani/dspy-skills at commit f5db3b7, republished under its MIT licence (© OmidZamani). 249 words, ~1,660 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
dspy-output-refinement-constraints
description
Use for dspy.Refine, dspy.BestOfN, output constraints, validation, reward functions, and iterative output refinement.
allowed-tools
Read, Write, Glob, Grep
version
1.0.0
dspy-compatibility
3.2.1
tags
evaluation, reasoning

DSPy Output Refinement & Constraints

Goal

Improve output quality using iterative refinement (dspy.Refine) and best-of-N selection (dspy.BestOfN) with custom constraint validation.

When to Use

  • Outputs need format validation (JSON, specific structure)
  • Length constraints (max tokens, word count)
  • Content requirements (must include X, avoid Y)
  • Quality improvement through multiple attempts
  • Replacing deprecated Assert/Suggest patterns

Inputs

InputTypeDescription
moduledspy.ModuleModule to refine
reward_fncallableConstraint validation function
NintNumber of attempts
thresholdfloatMinimum reward to accept

Outputs

OutputTypeDescription
refined_outputdspy.PredictionValidated, refined result

Workflow

Phase 1: dspy.Refine for Iterative Improvement

Refine iteratively improves outputs across multiple attempts:

python
import dspy

dspy.configure(lm=dspy.LM("openai/gpt-4o-mini"))

# Base module
summarizer = dspy.ChainOfThought("document -> summary: str")

# Reward function: checks constraints
def summary_reward(args, pred):
    summary = pred.summary
    word_count = len(summary.split())

    if word_count > 100 or len(summary) < 50:
        return 0.0
    if "important" not in summary.lower():
        return 0.5
    return 1.0

# Refine module
refined_summarizer = dspy.Refine(
    module=summarizer,
    reward_fn=summary_reward,
    N=3,
    threshold=1.0
)

# Use it
result = refined_summarizer(document="Long document text here...")
print(result.summary)
Phase 2: dspy.BestOfN for Selection

Generate N outputs and pick the best:

python
import dspy

def json_reward(args, pred):
    """Validate JSON format and fields."""
    import json
    try:
        data = json.loads(pred.output)
        if not {'name', 'age', 'email'}.issubset(data.keys()):
            return 0.3
        if '@' not in data.get('email', ''):
            return 0.5
        return 1.0
    except json.JSONDecodeError:
        return 0.0

# BestOfN: try 5 times, pick best
extractor = dspy.Predict("text -> output: str")
best_extractor = dspy.BestOfN(module=extractor, reward_fn=json_reward, N=5, threshold=1.0)

result = best_extractor(text="John Doe, 30 years old, john@example.com")
print(result.output)  # Best valid JSON
Phase 3: Multi-Constraint Reward Functions

Complex validation with scoring:

python
import dspy
import re

def comprehensive_reward(args, pred):
    """Validate format, length, and content."""
    text = pred.answer
    score = 0.0

    # Length: 50-150 words (33%)
    word_count = len(text.split())
    if 50 <= word_count <= 150:
        score += 0.33

    # Format: capitalized, ends with period (33%)
    if re.match(r'^[A-Z]', text) and text.endswith('.'):
        score += 0.33

    # Content: required terms present (34%)
    if all(term in text.lower() for term in ['data', 'analysis']):
        score += 0.34

    return score

# Use with Refine
qa = dspy.ChainOfThought("question -> answer: str")
refined_qa = dspy.Refine(module=qa, reward_fn=comprehensive_reward, N=4, threshold=0.9)

result = refined_qa(question="What is data science?")

Production Example

python
import dspy
import json
import logging

logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)

class StructuredExtractor(dspy.Module):
    """Extract structured data with validation."""

    def __init__(self):
        self.extractor = dspy.Predict(
            "text -> json_output: str"
        )
        self.refined = dspy.Refine(
            module=self.extractor,
            reward_fn=self.validation_reward,
            N=3,
            threshold=0.9
        )

    def validation_reward(self, args, pred):
        """Validate JSON structure and business logic."""
        try:
            data = json.loads(pred.json_output)
            score = 0.0

            # Required fields
            if {'product', 'price', 'quantity'}.issubset(data.keys()):
                score += 0.4

            # Type validation
            if isinstance(data.get('price'), (int, float)) and data['price'] > 0:
                score += 0.3
            if isinstance(data.get('quantity'), int) and data['quantity'] > 0:
                score += 0.3

            return score
        except (json.JSONDecodeError, TypeError) as e:
            logger.warning(f"Validation failed: {e}")
            return 0.0

    def forward(self, text: str):
        try:
            return self.refined(text=text)
        except Exception as e:
            logger.error(f"Extraction failed: {e}")
            return dspy.Prediction(json_output='{}')

# Usage
extractor = StructuredExtractor()
result = extractor(text="iPhone 15, $999, quantity: 50")
print(result.json_output)

Migration from Assert/Suggest

DSPy 2.6+ deprecates dspy.Assert/dspy.Suggest. Use Refine with reward functions:

python
# Old: dspy.Assert(len(output) < 100, "Too long")
# New:
def reward(args, pred):
    return 1.0 if len(pred.output) < 100 else 0.0

refined = dspy.Refine(module=module, reward_fn=reward, N=3, threshold=1.0)

Best Practices

  1. Score gradually - Use 0.0-1.0 range, not binary pass/fail
  2. Multiple constraints - Weight each constraint (e.g., 25% each for 4 checks)
  3. Handle exceptions - Reward functions should never raise, return 0.0 on error
  4. Limit attempts - 3-5 attempts for Refine, 5-10 for BestOfN
  5. Log failures - Track which constraints fail most often

Limitations

  • Each attempt costs an additional LLM call
  • Reward functions don't receive feedback prompts (unlike GEPA)
  • BestOfN is expensive (N × cost)
  • No automatic constraint learning (manual reward design)
  • Refine may not improve if base module is fundamentally wrong

Official Documentation

© OmidZamani, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file in skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints of OmidZamani/dspy-skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • example.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit f5db3b7

Compare with similar skills

Dspy Output Refinement Constraints next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Dspy Output Refinement Constraints compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Dspy Output Refinement Constraints this skillOmidZamani/dspy-skills123—~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
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Refinewindmill-labs/windmill18k—~420Automated safety check: PassCustom licence
Refiner AutomationComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills77k3 repos~730Automated safety check: PassNone
Sparc Refineruvnet/ruflo74k—~1.5kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Azure Functionsdavila7/claude-code-templates33k2 repos~344Automated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Dspy Output Refinement Constraints

What does Dspy Output Refinement Constraints do?

A skill your agent uses for dspy.Refine, dspy.BestOfN, output constraints, validation, reward functions, and iterative output refinement. Dspy Output Refinement Constraints is an agent skill from OmidZamani/dspy-skills.BestOfN, output constraints, validation, reward functions, and iterative output refinement.

When should I use Dspy Output Refinement Constraints?

Dspy Output Refinement Constraints fits situations like: output constraints; reward functions; iterative output refinement.

How do I install Dspy Output Refinement Constraints in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add OmidZamani/dspy-skills --skill dspy-output-refinement-constraints -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints in OmidZamani/dspy-skills) into .claude/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Dspy Output Refinement Constraints in Codex?

Run `npx skills add OmidZamani/dspy-skills --skill dspy-output-refinement-constraints -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints in OmidZamani/dspy-skills) into .agents/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Dspy Output Refinement Constraints in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add OmidZamani/dspy-skills --skill dspy-output-refinement-constraints -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints, .gemini/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints, .github/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints and .opencode/skills/dspy-output-refinement-constraints in your project.

What does Dspy Output Refinement Constraints need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Dspy Output Refinement Constraints needs Python for the scripts in its folder. Our summary lists: Python 3. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Read, Write, Glob, Grep.

Does Dspy Output Refinement Constraints access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. As links in the text: dspy.ai and github.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Dspy Output Refinement Constraints safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Dspy Output Refinement Constraints use?

Dspy Output Refinement Constraints is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Dspy Output Refinement Constraints use?

About 1.7k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Dspy Output Refinement Constraints?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Dspy Output Refinement Constraints: Agent Refinement (ruvnet/ruflo, 74k stars), Refine (windmill-labs/windmill, 18k stars), Refiner Automation (ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills, 77k stars) and Sparc Refine (ruvnet/ruflo, 74k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Dspy Output Refinement Constraints?

OmidZamani (a GitHub user) maintains it in OmidZamani/dspy-skills, which has 123 GitHub stars. The repository holds 17 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on June 23, 2026.

Source: OmidZamani/dspy-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.