A successful-looking screen can hide different rules behind what appears to be one action.
The practical check
Check that equivalent actions preserve the same important information across all paths.
Where AI fits
AI can compare the fields and outcomes of each save path and flag where the record shape differs.
The human decision
People decide which fields are required and verify the corrected behavior.
The lesson
A save is trustworthy only when every path preserves the work the person intended to keep.
Field-by-field save-path comparison is documented in the Build Log companion for the screen that appeared to perform one action.
AI Skills
Use this lesson with the AI assistant you already use
Use this to prepare a reviewable next step without changing any system.
Paste the prompt, share only the context needed to answer it, and treat the result as a draft for your review. Do not include confidential information or let an AI assistant make changes without your approval.
Optional: for a visual report and saved memory, run /dxdev first.
Don’t have it? Get it at dxdev.com/skills/dxdev. The prompt works without it.
dxdev LESSON · paste into your AI agent
LESSON: Compare equivalent save paths
WHAT TO SHARE:
A de-identified description of the work, current evidence, and the decision you are considering.
ASK YOUR AGENT TO:
1. Separate confirmed facts from assumptions and unanswered questions.
2. Check that equivalent actions preserve the same important information across all paths.
3. Identify the narrowest useful next review step.
RETURN:
A short table with the evidence, uncertainty, human-owned decision, and next action.
BOUNDARY: Do not change records, contact anyone, route work, publish content, or act in an external system. A person must review the evidence and approve every consequential step.
