FIELD NOTE / CONTINUITY / 01
When the tool
stays the same.
A familiar product label does not guarantee a familiar operating system. The meaningful change may be in the model, instruction, source, permission, monitor, or return path around it.
This field note helps a reader identify a change worth documenting. It does not classify risk, set a materiality threshold, or approve a release.
THE READER QUESTION “What changed in the workflow, even if we are still calling it by the same tool name?”
SIX SURFACES / LOOK PAST THE LABEL
Name the change
where it actually lives.
- 01
Model or version
A provider, model version, fallback behavior, or output characteristic may differ even if the front-door product name stays stable.
- 02
Instruction
A system instruction, prompt pattern, policy constraint, evaluation gate, or approval route may move the boundary without a visible tool change.
- 03
Source
A retrieval corpus, connected repository, context window, citation rule, or data-preparation step can alter what the workflow can observe or rely on.
- 04
Permission
A new connector, broader account role, newly available action, or external recipient can change what the workflow may affect.
- 05
Monitor
A review threshold, observed signal, alert recipient, or review cadence may be added, removed, or narrowed.
- 06
Return path
The prior configuration, safe fallback, containment mechanism, or person able to pause the work may no longer be available in the same way.
WHAT THE RECORD HOLDS
Do not say
“nothing changed.”
Instead, state the before-and-after difference, the affected surface, the accountable decision owner, the re-check, the observation and pause condition, and the feasible rollback or containment route. That is enough to make a future review possible without inflating the note into a universal assurance claim.
Open the AI Change Record template Before it acts: Action Boundary BriefSOURCE BASIS / BOUNDED INTERPRETATION