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What do I call it when app state is out of sync?
Use this when the UI, server, URL, saved draft, or another browser tab disagrees about what is true.
Use these terms
Source of truth
Names which place owns the real state when UI, server, URL, and drafts disagree.
State reconciliation
Defines how conflicting versions resolve without overwriting newer work.
Race condition
Names timing bugs where rapid clicks, two tabs, or out-of-order responses create the wrong result.
Invariant
Captures facts that must stay true across transitions and sync events.
Draft persistence
Keeps unfinished work safe while state is being saved, restored, or reconciled.
Recovery path
Tells users what happened and how to continue when state cannot be resolved automatically.
What to ask AI
Weak ask
Fix the state sync bug. The UI and server disagree.
Exact Terms ask
Audit this flow for source of truth, state reconciliation, race conditions, stale writes, invariants, draft persistence, and recovery paths for two tabs, refresh, URL state, and failed saves.
Common symptoms
Two tabs conflict
One tab overwrites work from another tab or shows a stale step.
URL and UI disagree
The route says one step while the component state shows another.
Server and draft disagree
Saved records, local drafts, and visible form values do not match.
Out-of-order response
A slower old request overwrites a newer user action.
Related guides
What do I call it when a form loses progress?
Vocabulary for forms and builders that lose progress: draft persistence, resumability, checkpoints, state reconciliation, recovery paths, and source of truth.
AI coding agent vocabulary for robust app workflows.
AI coding agent vocabulary for fixing vibe-coded apps: statecharts, step state, transition tables, guard conditions, draft persistence, idempotency, checkpoints, fallback UI, and recovery paths.
Draft persistence vs. autosave: what should you ask AI to build?
A practical guide to draft persistence, autosave, resumability, checkpoints, source of truth, and state reconciliation for forms and builders.
What you mean vs. what experts call it.
A translation map from vague AI prompt language to expert vocabulary for coding, images, UX, research, and buyer messaging.
Common questions
Is this just state management?
State management is the implementation area. Source of truth and state reconciliation are the terms that tell AI what kind of state problem to solve.
What should the AI return?
Ask for ownership rules, reconciliation rules, stale-write protection, visible conflict states, and tests for two tabs, refresh, and out-of-order responses.