Two loop-level metrics: communication closure (does what the pipeline returns at one turn match what it faces next?) and conditional action contribution (how much does a message resolve the reply that follows?).

Pairing signal: swapping a response for one from another turn removes 87-92% of the measured contribution, with surrounding prompts untouched.

Direction: in human-LLM conversations one side dominates in 57 of 58 conversations; human-human dialogue is balanced.

Data: 2,171 human-human, 58 human-LLM and 8 LLM-LLM dialogues.

​Per stage: retrieval, memory, tools and handoffs can each carry their own reading. A blind test on your own traffic is the natural next step.