# rfp agent hallucinated deadline date from prior rfp version: how to fix it

Agents mix versions when the amendment and the original sit in the same folder. Pin the current version explicitly, extract the deadline with a citation, and verify it against the latest amendment.

```text
rfp agent hallucinated deadline date from prior rfp version
```

## When to use this skill
- Agent cites a deadline from an older RFP version
- Deadline in the draft does not match the current RFP

## When not to use this skill
- Deadline is correct but tight (a scheduling issue)
- Agent misreads the date format (a parsing issue)

## Tool compatibility
Agent deadline verification. Related area: agent evaluations.

Related area: proposal automation and agent-assisted RFP workflows.

Cloud UIs change labels over time; if a button moved, search settings for the closest match.

## Before you start
- Sign in to the tool and keep one tab open so sessions stay clean
- Copy the exact error text and note the time it happened
- Set aside 15 to 20 minutes; most of these resolve in a single pass

## Quick diagnosis
Make sure this is the right skill before you invest the 15 minutes.
- If you are dealing with agent cites a deadline from an older RFP version, start at step 1 below.
- If instead deadline is correct but tight (a scheduling issue), stop here; you need a different skill.
- If neither quite matches, compare your screen against the verbatim error block at the top; that block is exactly what this skill covers.

## Fix it in steps
### 1. Identify the current version

```
List all RFP versions and amendments by date.
```
Expected: Expected: the latest version is unambiguous.

### 2. Extract the deadline with citation

```
Pull the deadline date plus the exact quoted sentence.
```
Expected: Expected: date paired with its source quote.

### 3. Check the latest amendment

```
Read the newest amendment for any deadline change.
```
Expected: Expected: amendment confirms or overrides the date.

### 4. Record the pinned deadline

```
Write the verified deadline into the run state.
```
Expected: Expected: every downstream step uses the pinned date.

## Confirm each step worked
Run through this checklist before moving on. If a check fails, redo that step instead of pushing ahead.
- Step 1 (identify the current version): Expected: expected: the latest version is unambiguous.
- Step 2 (extract the deadline with citation): Expected: expected: date paired with its source quote.
- Step 3 (check the latest amendment): Expected: expected: amendment confirms or overrides the date.
- Step 4 (record the pinned deadline): Expected: expected: every downstream step uses the pinned date.

## Quick recap
1. Identify the current version
2. Extract the deadline with citation
3. Check the latest amendment
4. Record the pinned deadline

## Still stuck?
Gather three things: the exact error text, the time it happened, and what changed just before it broke.
Check the vendor status page for an active incident. Then open a support ticket with those three things;
it cuts the back-and-forth in half. For agent runs, attach the last 50 lines of the agent log too,
since the loop or timeout signature in the log usually names the cause.

## Variant phrasings
### agent hallucinated deadline date
Pin the version and cite the quote. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

### rfp agent wrong deadline version
Amendment check is required. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

## Why it happens
Amendments frequently move deadlines, and an agent that read the original first anchors on the old date. Explicit version pinning plus a citation requirement makes the mix-up structurally visible.

## Edge cases
- Name files with version and date; vague filenames cause mix-ups
- Treat every amendment as a potential deadline change until checked
- A human should eyeball the final deadline before submission

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_ihUPKu8iI_7EcvrfSgJGBg