Cognition · Software component
Question Decomposer
Software componentCognitionCognition & Memoryarc:QuestionDecomposer
A cognition component that breaks a complex multi-hop question into an ordered set of sub-questions, each representing a distinct information need.
Responsibility. Decomposes a multi-hop question into sub-questions.
Also known as: Question decomposition, Query decomposer, LLM-powered query decomposition, Sub-query generator
Relationships
is configured by structural
invokes dependency
is invoked by dependency
is routed to by dynamic
sends data to dynamic
fails over to control
is orchestrated by control
Design guidance
- SHOULD make decomposition explicit so failures can be localised to decomposition, sub-question retrieval, or synthesis.
- SHOULD bypass decomposition for simple queries using query complexity heuristics (word count, question structure).
- SHOULD use low temperature to keep decomposition consistent across similar queries.
- SHOULD measure whether accuracy gains justify the added decomposition and synthesis LLM calls before production deployment.
Quantitative guidance
As stated by the sources; verify before use.
- Decomposition LLM call adds ~100-200 ms; example temperature 0.2 (Ch6.6).
- Example comparison query decomposed into 4 sub-queries (Ch6.6).
Classification
- Patterns
- Compositional question decompositionSelf-AskQuery decompositionLLM-based sub-query generation
- Quality attributes
- Explainability (NIST AI RMF: explainable and interpretable)
- Risks mitigated
- Incorrect decompositionCompositionality gapDiluted blended-query embeddings missing individual information needsIncomplete answers to multi-part questions
Sources
- Ch3.3: T. Nguyen, "Web Navigation and Interaction Benchmarks," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 3.3. ISBN: 9798244538229.
- Ch5.1: T. Nguyen, "Chain-of-Thought (CoT) Fundamentals," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 5.1. ISBN: 9798244538229.
- Ch6.6: T. Nguyen, "Query Decomposition and Adaptive Retrieval," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 6.6. ISBN: 9798244538229.