> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.usebench.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Golden cases and criteria

> Customize future evaluations without editing every generated scenario.

Open **Test library** in an AI system. **Cases** and **Criteria** are separate tabs.
Cases starts with **All cases**. Browse ten items per page or filter by source.
A case is a scenario; a criterion is a rule used to judge it. A rubric is the collection
of those criteria. Bench still generates criteria and scenarios automatically.

| View        | Contents                                                                         |
| ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| All cases   | Your cases and Bench-retained cases together                                     |
| Your cases  | Inputs and expected results you added, imported or edited                        |
| Bench cases | Cases retained from previous evaluations, not automatically human-verified truth |
| Criteria    | Your rules and the latest generated rubric for each connected prompt             |

## Add a case

Choose **Add case**, enter the input and expected result, then save. If the system has several prompts, choose the target. Cases are prompt-specific so an expectation for one agent does not become a policy for every agent.

## Edit a case

Choose **Edit** to open the case beside the table. Update **Input** and **Expected result**. Open **More details** for notes and any saved conversation, variables or context. Structured values use individual fields rather than a read-only JSON dump.

**Save for future benches** creates a new context revision. Editing a Bench-retained case replaces its future-use copy with your correction. Bench does not run both versions, change previous scores, or allow a later automatic import to overwrite your correction.

Use **Pause** to leave a case in the library without including it in future benches. Use **Remove** for a custom or corrected case you no longer want stored. Removing evidence can also erase the saved details of evaluations that used it; their scores remain unchanged.

## Import a dataset

<Steps>
  <Step title="Upload">Choose **Upload cases**. CSV, XLSX, JSON and JSONL are supported, up to 4 MB and 5,000 rows. Select a worksheet for a multi-sheet workbook.</Step>
  <Step title="Map and preview">Map the input and expected result columns. You can also map history, actual outputs, variables, resolved prompts and notes. Extra columns and repeated inputs are preserved after redaction.</Step>
  <Step title="Save">Save the mapped dataset. Comparing recorded answers is an exact, case-sensitive comparison, not a semantic LLM judgment.</Step>
  <Step title="Include in a bench">Choose **Use a dataset**, select the saved dataset and target prompt, then **Add golden cases**. This copies that dataset version into the library. Uploading alone does not start an evaluation.</Step>
</Steps>

Missing inputs or expected labels must be corrected before promotion. Bench does not invent runtime variables or silently shorten conversations. Supported prompt replay uses text user/assistant history and simple named substitutions. Tool, multimodal or unsupported template histories need a runtime adapter and can remain unscored.

## Customize a criterion

Choose **Criteria**, then **Add criterion**. State the rule, what passes and what fails. Bench carries it into rubric routing and test generation for that prompt. If a criterion cannot be observed by the available evaluator, it must remain unscored rather than receive a guessed result.

Edit or pause a custom criterion to change future benches. Existing runs keep their
pinned revision. Generated criteria show **Customize** to create a user rule; they
are not editable historical records. Their saved rubric also remains in History.
If no benchmark has generated a rubric yet, there are no generated criteria to show.

## Regressions and capabilities

Retained cases from this exact system can seed a later bench, subject to the case
budget below. A candidate that breaks a previously passing check in the selected
suite is not recommended just because its average improves. Primary and secondary
criteria both count. Changed context or expected behavior establishes a new version.

For actual application-level capability, tool and orchestration tests, use
[application-runtime evaluation](/sdk/system-evaluation). The prompt benchmark
does not execute your application tools. History alone does not guarantee coverage
of every past failure; inspect the cases actually included.

## Limits and inclusion

Your plan limits the number of cases executed per evaluation. Explicit cases are considered first; the saved suite records included and excluded supplied cases. Review that manifest when a large dataset exceeds the case budget. A source remaining in the library does not mean every row ran in every bench.

Review the expected behavior before relying on a Bench case. An automatically retained case is a regression candidate, not independent human validation.