Required schema fields for optional permit attributes cause fabricated values. How should the schema change?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
If the lot size isn't on the form, don't make Claude invent a backyard. Nullable optional fields beat required fields that force fake numbers.
Full Explanation
Required schema fields for attributes that are only sometimes present on permit forms push models to invent fillers so the JSON validates. Making optional attributes nullable (or otherwise optional in the schema) lets missing civic data be represented honestly as null or omitted instead of fabricated lot sizes, fees, or dates. Honest nulls keep analytics and permit decisions from treating invented numbers as measured facts.
Keeping every optional attribute required so the model invents fillers fails by encoding hallucination as a success path whenever a form leaves a field blank. Deleting the entire schema when any attribute is sometimes blank fails because you lose structure for the fields that are consistently present and still need enforcement. Punishing missing optionals by failing the whole batch without nullability fails operationally: mixed completeness is normal in permit packets, and batch-wide failure creates backlog without improving truthfulness.
Exam caveat: nullability prevents fabrication pressure; downstream systems must accept nulls and define which fields remain truly required for legal completeness. Operational check: mark intermittently present permit attributes nullable in the schema, run forms with blank optionals, and verify outputs use nulls rather than plausible fake values.