---
title: "What does the 'decision' output modality mean?"
answer: "The 'decision' output modality is a Coolhand-specific term for models that return a structured choice rather than generative content. Models with this modality, like TypeSafe Jev, are designed to provide classifications, scores, or other structured data based on a schema you provide in the prompt."
category: "Logs \u0026 API"
tags: []
published: 2026-10-21T16:19:53Z
updated: 2026-10-21T16:18:10Z
canonical_url: https://coolhandlabs.com/help/what-does-decision-output-modality-mean
index_url: https://coolhandlabs.com/help.md
---

# What does the 'decision' output modality mean?

The 'decision' output modality is a Coolhand-specific term for models that return a structured choice rather than generative content. Models with this modality, like TypeSafe Jev, are designed to provide classifications, scores, or other structured data based on a schema you provide in the prompt.

## What is the 'decision' modality?

The `decision` output modality is a classification used by Coolhand for models that produce a structured, choice-based response instead of generating freeform text, images, or audio. While most large language models (LLMs) generate content, decision models are designed to evaluate inputs against a defined schema and return a specific, structured answer.

This makes them useful for tasks like:

*   Classification
*   Scoring and rating
*   Extracting specific information

## Example: TypeSafe Jev

The primary example of a model with the `decision` output modality is TypeSafe's Jev model. When you send a request to Jev, you provide a `state` (the data to be evaluated) and `questions` (the schema and criteria for evaluation). The model's response is not a generated text string, but a structured JSON object containing the `answers`.

For example, you might provide a user comment as the `state` and ask the model to classify its sentiment as 'positive', 'negative', or 'neutral' in the `questions`. The model would then return a structured response indicating its choice.

Because these models do not generate text in the same way as conversational LLMs, Coolhand categorizes their output modality as `decision` to distinguish them from generative models.

---

Related:
- [What every field on an LLM request log means](https://coolhandlabs.com/help/llm-request-log-fields.md)
- [LLMs and System One models: what's different, and when to use which](https://coolhandlabs.com/help/llms-vs-system-one-models.md)
- [Ruby SDK Integration Best Practices](https://coolhandlabs.com/help/ruby-sdk-integration-best-practices.md)
- [TypeSafe Best Practices](https://coolhandlabs.com/help/typesafe-best-practices.md)

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