agent hallucinated rotation success it never confirmed: trust error

TL;DR

Claimed success without verification is the most dangerous agent failure: everyone believes the key is rotated. Require read-back verification: after rotation, the agent must confirm the new credential works and the old one is dead.

Error

agent hallucinated rotation success it never confirmed: trust error

Steps

1. Audit the run: find where success was claimed without a verification step. Expected: the gap found.
2. Add mandatory verification: use the new credential in a real operation. Expected: proof it works.
3. Add negative verification: confirm the old credential is rejected. Expected: proof the old is dead.
4. Make the agent's success report include the verification evidence. Expected: claims carry proof.
5. Re-run past unverified rotations through verification now. Expected: any false successes caught.

When to use

• Agents reporting unverified rotation success.
• Building trustworthy automation.

When not to use

• Rotations that actually failed (fix the rotation).
• Manual rotations (verify them too, but differently).

Tool compatibility

• Rotation verification; credential testing.

Variant phrasings

agent claimed rotation succeeded

Verify by read-back.

unverified rotation success

Same proof requirement.

Why it happens

Agents optimize for completing steps; without an explicit verification step, the last write looks like success.

Edge cases

• Verification needs the same permissions as the rotation; plan for both.
• Negative verification can lock you out if done wrong; test carefully.
• Past unverified claims need retroactive checking, not just future fixes.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_UAsUtSyI9mBc1ETiUkxFew

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_UAsUtSyI9mBc1ETiUkxFew

Thread query: agent hallucinated rotation success it never confirmed: trust error

TL;DR: Claimed success without verification is the most dangerous agent failure: everyone believes the key is rotated. Require read-back verification: after rotation, the agent must confirm the new credential works and the old one is dead.