---
title: "A Dry Run Is Only Useful If It Tests the Real Path"
canonical: https://dxdev.com/blog/2026-05-26_dry-run-must-match-apply/
datePublished: 2026-05-26
---
A dry run can create false confidence when it exercises a cleaner or different path than the action it claims to preview.

## The practical check

Ask whether the preview checks the same inputs, conditions, policy, and failure cases as the real action.

## Where AI fits

AI can compare dry-run and apply conditions and flag where the two paths diverge.

## The human decision

People decide whether the preview is honest enough to support action and approve the real run.

## The lesson

A dry run earns trust only when it tests the same inputs, conditions, policies, and failure cases as the action it claims to preview.

Inputs, conditions, policy, and failure cases are compared between preview and execution in the Build Log companion.