# Work classification > Label archived conversations by work mode, outcome, and task profile so Stats can show what you worked on, how it went, and how that changed. Classification asks a model to label each finished conversation: what kind of work it was, whether it reached its goal, and what evidence supports that judgment. [Stats](https://www.hansard.dev/guides/stats/) uses these labels for its work-mode, outcome, and work-frontier charts, and for the period comparison in its **Changes** tab. Classification is on by default and runs in the background with an agent CLI you are already signed in to. - App: **Settings → Classification** - CLI: `hansard classify` ## Configure classification in the app 1. Open **Settings → Classification**. 2. Keep **Label conversations** on to label conversations. Turn it off to stop all classification. 3. Keep **Label new conversations automatically** on to let the watcher label conversations every 15 minutes. In **Wait before labeling**, choose how long a conversation must go without new messages before it is labeled, from **12 hours** to **14 days**, or choose **Custom…** and enter a value such as `36h`. The default is **7 days**. The row also reports the last automatic pass. 4. Under **Model**, choose a **Provider**. **Automatic** tries Claude Code if you are signed in, then Codex, then Ollama, and shows which one it uses. 5. Each provider labels with its own light model: `claude-sonnet-5` through Claude Code or the Anthropic API, `gpt-6-luna` through Codex or the OpenAI API. To use a different model, choose a provider and enter it in **Model**. Clearing the field restores the light model, never the model you chat with. **Jev API key** sends each conversation to TypeSafe's Jev model with `TYPESAFE_API_KEY`. Jev returns typed labels with calibrated confidence instead of written reasons, is billed by input tokens only, and does not support **Task value**. Horizons from Jev are the midpoint of the chosen range. 6. Under **Extra labels**, turn optional label sets on or off. 7. To label waiting conversations now, select **Label now** beside **Label waiting conversations**, which also reports how many are waiting. To add the extra labels to conversations that are already labeled, select **Add now** beside **Add to labeled conversations**. If the provider sends data off this computer, Hansard asks you to confirm first. **Stop** ends the run. A run labels up to 200 conversations, oldest first, and shows pending, complete, retrying, and failed counts while it works. It resumes where it left off if interrupted. ## Classify from the CLI Check what is configured and how much is pending: ```sh hansard classify status ``` Label pending conversations now, or tune the automatic pass: ```sh hansard classify run hansard classify run --profile enrichment --limit all hansard classify auto --stale-after 3d --limit 50 hansard classify auto disable ``` To inspect one conversation's stored labels, run `hansard classify show` followed by its session ID. `hansard classify clear --session` followed by a session ID removes that conversation's labels, and `hansard classify clear --yes` removes every stored label. Clearing labels never touches archived conversations. `hansard classify run` accepts these options: | Option | Effect | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `--profile ` | Chooses which request to run: `core` (the conversation request, default), `task`, `enrichment` (every enabled request except core), or `all`. | | `--limit N\|all` | Sets the maximum number of jobs. The default is 200. | | `--source ` | Labels only one harness's conversations. | | `--since 30d\|all` | Labels only conversations that started in the window. | | `--include-sdk-jobs` | Also labels one-shot SDK jobs, which are skipped by default. | | `--force` | Labels conversations again even when their labels are current. | | `--batch-size N` | Sets conversations per model request, up to 16. | | `--workers N` | Sets how many requests run at once, up to 8. | | `--no-wait-for-imports` | Starts without waiting for running imports to finish. | | `--json` | Prints a machine-readable summary. | `hansard classify auto` takes `--stale-after` (the idle threshold) and `--limit` (jobs per 15-minute pass, default 100). The first automatic pass starts a few minutes after the watcher launches, and pending imports always go first. ## Choose where classification runs | Backend | Setting | What it uses | | ----------------- | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Signed-in CLI** | `auto` (default) | The Claude CLI if it is signed in, then the Codex CLI, otherwise Ollama. | | **Ollama** | `local-model` | Your Ollama server, `http://localhost:11434` by default. Needs a model tag such as `qwen2.5:7b-instruct`. | | **Claude CLI** | `claude-cli` | Your signed-in Claude account. No API key. | | **Codex CLI** | `codex-cli` | Your signed-in Codex account. No API key. | | **Anthropic API** | `anthropic` | `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` from Hansard's environment. Billed by usage. | | **OpenAI API** | `openai` | `OPENAI_API_KEY` from Hansard's environment. Billed by usage. | To choose a backend and model from the CLI: ```sh hansard config set classify.backend local-model hansard config set classify.model qwen2.5:7b-instruct ``` Hansard remembers a model for each backend. With the Claude or Codex CLI, leave the model blank to use that CLI's default. Ollama and the two APIs need an explicit model. The Codex CLI runs classification at low reasoning effort unless you set `classify.reasoningEffort`. > **Classification can send conversation excerpts off your machine:** Each request carries a redacted digest of the conversation: your prompts, the > agent's replies, and a summary of tool activity, trimmed to 16,000 > characters by default. Ollama on this machine keeps the digest local. The > Claude CLI, Codex CLI, the Anthropic and OpenAI APIs, and an Ollama server on > another machine send it to that provider. Explicit runs ask for confirmation > first. Automatic passes send digests without asking; turn off **Classify > automatically** or run `hansard classify auto disable` to stop them. For every connection Hansard makes, see [What leaves your machine](https://www.hansard.dev/privacy/data-boundaries/). ## What classification records Each conversation is labeled by one model request per view of it, so the conversation is sent once instead of once per label: | Request | Reads | Labels | On by default | | ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | | Conversation | The conversation digest | Work mode, outcome, success and failure evidence, purpose, task family, primary output, collaboration mode, decision autonomy, your expertise in the task, and who made the planning and execution decisions | Yes, always | | **Task horizon & O\*NET work** | Your requests only, never the agent's replies | How long the task would take an experienced person without AI, ten difficulty facets rated 1 to 10 (including how hard mistakes are to undo, how novel the task is, how much the environment changes, and how much information must be found), task boundaries, and the work functions matched to a copy of the O\*NET taxonomy bundled with Hansard (one extra lookup request; nothing is requested from O\*NET) | Yes | | **Task value** | The conversation digest | A rough, comparative value estimate for the task | No | A field the model returns malformed is retried on its own; the rest of the reply is kept. The core labels use these values: - **Work mode**: Plan, Build, Fix, Understand, Test, Operate, Analyze, Orchestrate, or Communicate. - **Outcome**: Succeeded, Partially Succeeded, Failed, or No clear goal. Success rates count only the first three, called goal-bearing sessions. - **Success evidence** and **Failure evidence**: how strong the proof is, from 1 to 5. **No evidence observed** means the model checked and found none. **Unclassified** means no current label exists yet. Horizon and difficulty are judged from your requests alone, never from how fast the agent worked or whether it succeeded. Hansard skips machine-started sessions such as status probes and Codex action assessments, and one-shot SDK jobs unless you include them. It labels a conversation again only when its content or the label definitions change. Switching the model or provider keeps existing labels; run `hansard classify run --profile all --force` to relabel with the new one. ## See the results - **Stats → Work & autonomy** shows work modes, outcomes, evidence, and the work frontier. Detailed charts appear once more than 25% of eligible conversations are labeled; before that, a coverage card shows progress. See [Stats](https://www.hansard.dev/guides/stats/). - The Stats **Changes** tab compares work-mode mix and outcomes with the prior period, and its **Write a retrospective** button uses the same backend. See [Compare periods](https://www.hansard.dev/guides/behavior/). - In a classified conversation, **Session details** in the conversation header includes a **Classification** section with its work mode, outcome, evidence, and status flags such as verified success. - `hansard stats` includes a classification section, and `hansard classify show` prints one conversation's stored labels. Labels are a model's estimates, not ground truth. Use them to compare large groups of conversations rather than to grade a single one. ## Turn classification off To stop only the automatic background pass and keep explicit runs: ```sh hansard classify auto disable ``` To turn classification off entirely: ```sh hansard classify disable ``` In the app, turn off **Label new conversations automatically** or **Label conversations** in **Settings → Classification**. Existing labels stay until you run `hansard classify clear --yes`. ## Troubleshooting **A run or automatic pass stopped with a usage, spend, or sign-in message.** The CLI backend reported a limit or is no longer signed in. `hansard classify status` shows the reason under the last pass. Sign in again or wait for the limit to reset; the watcher retries on its next pass. **A run waits before starting.** Explicit runs wait for active imports to finish and for a short quiet period. To start anyway, add `--no-wait-for-imports`. **Classification requests appear as conversations in the archive.** Run `hansard classify cleanup --dry-run` to preview them, then `hansard classify cleanup` to remove them. **Stats shows a coverage card instead of charts.** Fewer than 25% of eligible conversations have current labels. Run `hansard classify run --limit all`, or wait for automatic passes to catch up.