State-Aware AI for Empirical Research
Sytra is designed for the rigorous demands of empirical research. It doesn't guess—it executes code in your local environment, verifies results, and guards against common validity threats.
The Data Janitor Problem
A recurring constraint in empirical research is not estimation per se, but the workflow that precedes it: acquiring data, normalizing formats, validating merges, diagnosing missingness, and producing reproducible outputs.
Generic AI Coding Tools
- • Treat code as text, not stateful operations
- • Cannot observe your actual data in memory
- • Miss silent failures that don't raise errors
- • Optimized for software, not statistical validity
Sytra
- • Synchronizes with your Stata workspace state
- • Executes locally, sees real error messages
- • Audits for validity-threatening failures
- • Enforces methodological discipline
Silent Killers
Results produced without errors that are nonetheless invalid. Sytra detects these first-class hazards automatically.
Sample Attrition
N drops across specifications due to missing controls or unintended filters
Merge Mismatch
Nontrivial mass of unmatched observations; duplicates violate m:1 assumptions
Omitted Variables
Variables dropped for collinearity or empty categories without warning
Clustering Drift
Different vce() or cluster variable across tables
Weight Misuse
Missing weights drop observations; wrong weight type changes estimand
Phase-Enforced Workflow
Sytra constrains agent actions by phase, preventing premature or unsafe operations.
Example: In INVESTIGATE phase, Sytra allows describe, codebook, tab, misstable but blocks destructive edits and estimation until you've understood your data.
Security & Privacy
Private by Design
Your data never leaves your machine. Sytra runs 100% locally.
Replication Ready
Generate complete do-files and logs for your appendix.
IRB Compliant
Meets data protection requirements for restricted microdata.
Design Principles
Transparency
AI-assisted transformations are logged and attributable. Provenance is a first-class output.
Reproducibility
Fixed settings, deterministic scripts, and explicit version recording.
Human Authority
AI may enumerate, execute, and diagnose; it does not decide which specification "counts."
Validity First
Biased toward flagging threats to validity early, not just speed.