Workflow Reliability term
Source of truth: meaning, examples, and AI prompt use.
Defines which place owns the real state when UI, server, URL, and draft storage disagree.
What it means
Plain meaning
canonical state: Defines which place owns the real state when UI, server, URL, and draft storage disagree.
Aliases
canonical state, single source of truth
People say / experts say
People usually say
- state mismatch
- ui server url
- cannot tell what state
- two tabs
- builder state
- client state
Experts usually say
Source of truth, State reconciliation, Draft persistence, URL state
When to use it
Use it when
Your rough ask sounds like: state mismatch, ui server url, cannot tell what state. 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
Weak ask
Fix this state mismatch flow.
Exact Terms ask
Define one canonical source of truth for builder state across UI, server, URL, and saved draft.
Prompt templates by use case
Architecture prompt
Audit this workflow for Source of truth and related concerns: State reconciliation, Draft persistence, URL state. Return states, rules, failure modes, and recovery behavior before code.
Implementation prompt
Implement Source of truth for this app flow. Include data ownership, edge cases, fallback behavior, and acceptance tests.
Test prompt
Create tests that prove Source of truth 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 Source of truth with the related vocabulary trail: State reconciliation, Draft persistence, URL state.