Workflow Reliability term
Recovery path: meaning, examples, and expert terminology.
Defines what happens after a failure so the user can continue instead of getting stranded.
What it means
Plain meaning
Defines what happens after a failure so the user can continue instead of getting stranded.
Aliases
failure recovery, continue after failure, repair path
People say / experts say
People usually say
- api fails midway
- api failure
- api error
- gets stuck between steps
- cannot recover
- flow loses progress
Experts usually say
Recovery path, Error taxonomy, Retry policy, Resumability
When to use it
Use it when
Your rough ask sounds like: api fails midway, api failure, api error. The term gives your coding agent a clearer problem shape.
When not to use it
Do not use this term as a request for a quick screen fix. Use it when the system needs explicit state, rules, failures, or recovery behavior.
Copy-ready handoff phrase
Before and after examples
API failure
Weak ask: Show an error when the API fails.
Exact Terms ask: Define recovery paths for API failure: what saved, what did not, what can be retried, what needs user action, and how the user continues without restarting.
Partial success
Weak ask: Handle partial success better.
Exact Terms ask: Design a recovery path for partial success with committed side effects, pending side effects, compensating action, retry rules, status messaging, and a safe resume point.
Session expiry
Weak ask: Users get kicked out and lose the flow.
Exact Terms ask: Create a recovery path for session expiry that preserves the draft, reauthenticates the user, reconciles state, and returns them to the correct step with context.
Handoff examples by use case
Architecture prompt
Audit this workflow for Recovery path and related concerns: Error taxonomy, Retry policy, Resumability. Return states, rules, failure modes, and recovery behavior before code.
Implementation prompt
Implement Recovery path for this app flow. Include data ownership, edge cases, fallback behavior, and acceptance tests.
Test prompt
Create tests that prove Recovery path works across refresh, retry, back/next movement, partial failure, and return visits.
Common mistake
What goes wrong
Asking for code before defining states, transitions, persistence, and failure behavior.
Better move
Use Recovery path with the related vocabulary trail: Error taxonomy, Retry policy, Resumability.
Related terms
Missing a better term?
Turn feedback into vocabulary
If this page almost names your problem but misses the exact term, send the rough phrase and the term you expected. Accepted feedback becomes a better trigger, explanation, comparison page, or new term.