Tool Gate · How it works
How the Agent Use-Case Fit & Proof-of-Value Gate gate works
How the Agent Use-Case Fit & Proof-of-Value Gate scores a proposed AI agent on six fit dimensions and then runs the money: a mitigation-and-autonomy gate forces DON'T BUILD when the build's net value is zero or the agent can't act on its own — so a 94/100 use-case can still fail the spend test.
How the gate works
This tool grades a proposed AI agent on six use-case-fit dimensions, then runs the money against the controls before you spend the build budget. Each control is marked from your own evidence and weighted into a 0–100 score — and then the score is run past a gate that can only make the verdict worse.
The 6 weighted controls
| Signal | Weight |
|---|---|
| Genuine autonomy need | 28 |
| Bounded scope | 20 |
| Integration readiness | 16 |
| Measurable outcome defined | 16 |
| ROI survives mitigation | 12 |
| Failure fallback | 8 |
| Total | 100 |
The verdict bands
Two worsen-only structural gates sit on top of the fit score. If the projected return doesn't survive the mitigation the agent needs — controls, validation, human oversight — net return is zero or negative and the verdict is DON'T BUILD. If there is no genuine autonomy need (automation rebranded as an agent), same result. Either gate forces DON'T BUILD no matter how high the fit score; the score never grants permission to build.
In the worked sample it scores 94 out of 100 and still reads DON'T BUILD — This refund-and-dispute agent marks CLEAR on almost every dimension — the fit score is 94, which alone reads BUILD. But the money doesn't work: $140k of required mitigation outruns its $120k projected return, so net return is -$20k. The mitigation gate forces DON'T BUILD; a high fit score can't rescue money that doesn't clear. The one thing to fix first: ROI survives mitigation — the controls this agent needs cost $140k against a $120k return. Bring the mitigation cost under the projected return, or narrow the scope, before any dimension work..
Common questions
Can something score well on the How the Agent Use-Case Fit & Proof-of-Value works and still fail?
Yes. The weighted score is run past a worsen-only gate — the Mitigation & autonomy — that can only make the verdict worse. In the worked sample it scores 94 out of 100 and still reads DON'T BUILD, because this refund-and-dispute agent marks CLEAR on almost every dimension — the fit score is 94, which alone reads BUILD. But the money doesn't work: $140k of required mitigation outruns its $120k projected return, so net return is -$20k. The mitigation gate forces DON'T BUILD; a high fit score can't rescue money that doesn't clear.
What is a worsen-only gate?
A dispositive rule that can only lower a verdict, never raise it. One fatal flaw overrides an otherwise-good score, because a single disqualifying gap shouldn't hide behind a high average. The tool also names the one thing to fix first — here, "ROI survives mitigation — the controls this agent needs cost $140k against a $120k return. Bring the mitigation cost under the projected return, or narrow the scope, before any dimension work.".
A planning decision aid, not advice. It scores the proposal you describe from your own numbers; it never builds or runs an agent and scores no person. Confirm your own cost and return estimates. Not financial, investment, or legal advice.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif"><a href="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/agent-use-case-fit-proof-of-value-gate">How the Agent Use-Case Fit & Proof-of-Value Gate gate works</a> — by <a href="https://redhub.ai">RedHub AI</a>, the AI that tells you when to doubt it.</p>Image + link — a static picture for any blog
<a href="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/agent-use-case-fit-proof-of-value-gate"><img src="https://redhub.ai/visuals/tool/agent-use-case-fit-proof-of-value-gate-share.png" alt="Diagram of the Agent Use-Case Fit & Proof-of-Value Gate: six fit dimensions scored to 0–100, a money-and-autonomy gate-only band, and a 94-point agent reading DON'T BUILD because the build's net value is negative." width="760" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:16px"></a>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif"><a href="https://redhub.ai">RedHub AI</a> — the AI that tells you when to doubt it.</p>
This is how Agent Use-Case Fit & Proof-of-Value Gate works. More diagrams in the Visual Field Guide.