# Status Copy Trust Audit

> Audit CLI and app status wording, repeated-run behavior, and client label alignment.

- Skill: `carlkibler/status-copy-trust-audit` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add carlkibler/status-copy-trust-audit`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/carlkibler/status-copy-trust-audit/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Security
- Author: carlkibler (https://skillmd.com/u/carlkibler)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/carlkibler/status-copy-trust-audit

---


# Status Copy Trust Audit

Status text is product UI. If it says "updated" when nothing updated, trust leaks out through a tiny hole and then somehow the whole boat is wet.

Third-order stance: trust is built in boring repeated runs and in failure paths. Audit whether the copy preserves user agency when things go wrong, not just whether success text sounds tidy.

## When to Use

- The user says output is odd, confusing, or "not sure what happened"
- Repeated runs print different words for equivalent states
- Commands like update/setup/doctor/register/install report both no-op and changed states
- Scope, provenance, or safety status is unclear

## When NOT to Use

- The output is purely internal debug logging
- The command has no user-facing status surface
- The issue is a real functional failure, not wording/state semantics

---

<process>

## Phase 1: Capture Real Transcripts

Run the command at least twice. If scope flags exist, test the default and explicit scope.

```bash
<tool> update
<tool> update
<tool> update --scope user
<tool> doctor --smoke
```

Keep exact stdout/stderr snippets in notes or tests. Also trigger at least one intentional failure when safe: missing config, stale path, bad scope, offline/network failure, or permission denied.

## Phase 2: Define State Semantics

For each line, label what it means:

| Word | Should mean |
|---|---|
| registered | created a missing config entry |
| refreshed | rewrote an existing config entry intentionally |
| already configured | no write happened |
| updated | package/binary version changed |
| already current | package/binary did not change |
| skipped | user requested no action or client missing |

Never use "updated" for both package version changes and config refreshes.

Add an actionability check: every warning/error line should answer "what now?" or point to the exact command/doc that does. If no action is needed, say why it is safe to ignore.

## Phase 3: Align Related Clients

If multiple clients are shown together, make their grammar parallel:

```text
Claude Code: refreshed (scope: user)
Codex: refreshed
Gemini CLI: refreshed (scope: user, trusted)
```

If one client has extra concepts (scope/trust), state them explicitly rather than omitting them elsewhere. Watch for semantic decay: copy that was true before a feature flag, migration, or installer change may now be wrong even if grammar is fine.

## Phase 4: Verify Idempotence

Second run should be boring and explain whether it wrote anything. Decide intentionally between:

- default no-op for idempotent setup
- forced refresh for update commands that must rewrite local paths after package changes

If update refreshes registrations by default, document why and provide an opt-out such as `--no-setup`.

## Phase 5: Lock It Down

Add tests for:

- aliases (`doc` -> `doctor`, `install` -> `setup`)
- repeated update/setup output
- no-op vs refresh vs version change wording
- scope/trust label consistency
- intentional failure output and actionable recovery text
- stale-copy regression when feature flags or installer behavior changes

</process>

<interlocks>

- Use `release-operator` before shipping changed status text.
- Use `remote-host-verifier` to confirm the same status semantics on remote hosts.
- Use `empathy-audit` when error copy may blame the user for system drift or tool limitations.
- Use `release-operator` when status text changes must be verified from the published artifact, not just the checkout.

</interlocks>