# Meaning drift across the stack

Prompt · Architecture and hidden complexity · A02

Shows where one word (a task, a fund, a run) means slightly different things in different parts of the app.

## Prompt

```text
Trace the same business concept across the entire stack. Find places where its meaning, representation, or validation changes between the UI, API, database, and background jobs.
```

**What it returns:** One table per concept: layer, type or column, validation rule, file:line. Mismatches marked.

**Skip it when:** Ideas that only live in one part of the app.

**Tools:** Repository access and read-only access to the database layout.

**Watch for:** This is an unbounded trace. Name one concept up front or it will wander.

**Changes:** Changes nothing

**Sessions:** Look first, then fix in a new session

## Skills

- [grill-with-docs](https://atlasscope.dev/skills/grill-with-docs): A relentless interview to sharpen a plan or design, which also creates docs (ADR's and glossary) as we go.

## Related

- [Missing vs zero vs stale](https://atlasscope.dev/prompts/missing-vs-zero-vs-stale): Finds where 'we don't know' turns into 0 and then into a wrong total.
- [Old records, new meanings](https://atlasscope.dev/prompts/old-records-new-meanings): Finds old records that read differently once today's rules are applied to them.
- [Hidden data anyone can read](https://atlasscope.dev/prompts/hidden-data-anyone-can-read): Finds data sent to the browser that the screen hides but anyone can read.

Source: https://atlasscope.dev/prompts/meaning-drift-across-the-stack