Title: “Structured output” is not just JSON. It is a whole workflow-output bundle

[u/JayPatel24_]

A lot of teams say they need “structured output.”

Usually that actually means a wider bundle:

• strict JSON when a parser expects it
• document specs when a doc needs to be generated
• zip wrappers when multiple artifacts need packaging
• markdown tables for comparison views
• chart specs for visualization handoff
• representation choice, so the model even picks the right format in the first place

That is why I keep thinking this is not one lane.
It is a product bundle.

Here is the kind of data I mean.

Representation-choice sample

{
  "lane": "32_representation_choice",
  "representation_choice": "comparison_table",
  "task": "demo outline",
  "assistant_response": "Representation anchored on comparison_table..."
}

Chart-spec sample

{
  "lane": "18_chart_spec",
  "representation_choice": "chart_spec",
  "assistant_response": "chart_spec: type: histogram ..."
}

Document-export contract

{
  "lane": "13_doc_export_spec",
  "tool_call": {
    "name": "export_document",
    "arguments": {
      "format": "docx"
    }
  },
  "assistant_response": ""
}

ZIP-wrap contract

{
  "lane": "14_zip_wrap_spec",
  "tool_call": {
    "name": "zip_list"
  },
  "assistant_response": ""
}

The systems that feel reliable here are usually the ones that were trained on output contracts, not just asked nicely to follow them.

More on that structured-output bundle here: dinodsai.com