User intent classification
User intent classification is the layer that determines what the user actually wants from a query — used to route to the right agent, tool, or response strategy before generation.
Intent classification is the first step of any multi-skill assistant. Given a query, classify into one of a defined set of intents ("billing question", "product feature request", "technical support", "sales inquiry"). Approaches: a small LLM with a tight system prompt + tool listing, semantic routing via embedding similarity to prototypes, or a fine-tuned classifier. The downstream pipeline branches on the classification. For production assistants the intent classifier is the single highest-leverage component — wrong-intent routing wastes context, picks the wrong tools, and produces irrelevant answers.
When to use user intent classification
- Multi-skill assistants and agents.
- Cost-sensitive deployments where wrong-intent routing wastes expensive calls.
Common mistakes
- Vague intent definitions — classifier confuses overlapping intents.
- No fallback / unknown intent — ambiguous queries get mis-routed silently.
FAQ
What is user intent classification?
User intent classification is the layer that determines what the user actually wants from a query — used to route to the right agent, tool, or response strategy before generation.
When should I use user intent classification?
Multi-skill assistants and agents. Cost-sensitive deployments where wrong-intent routing wastes expensive calls.
What are the most common mistakes with user intent classification?
Vague intent definitions — classifier confuses overlapping intents. No fallback / unknown intent — ambiguous queries get mis-routed silently.
Related terms
- Semantic routing — Semantic routing classifies an incoming query by meaning — via embedding similarity to predefined route prototypes — and dispatches it to the right model, agent, or sub-system.
- Tool router — A tool router is a layer in an agent that decides which tool to call (or which sub-agent to delegate to) for a given step — distinct from a model router which picks the underlying LLM.
- Router LLM — A router LLM is a small fast language model whose only job is to classify or rewrite an incoming request — deciding which downstream model, agent, or tool should handle it.
- AI agent — An AI agent is a system where a language model autonomously plans and executes a sequence of tool calls to accomplish a goal.
Last updated: 2026-06-01. Raw markdown: https://promtable.com/glossary/user-intent-classification.md.