## TL;DR
Ground lineage in executed SQL only: the agent reported column lineage from a query it drafted but never ran, so build lineage from query history or the compiled SQL of runs that actually executed, and mark drafted SQL as unverified. Lineage is a record of what happened. A plan, a draft, or a proposed query describes what might happen, and an audit built on it certifies transformations that do not exist.

```text
agent hallucinating column lineage from sql that was never run caused audit failure error
```

## Use this when
- The check or run fails with this symptom: an agent hallucinates column lineage from SQL that was never run and causes an audit failure.
- You are working on an agent workflow producing column lineage for audits or impact analysis and the failure repeats on the same data or configuration.
- You need the failing rows, rule, or stage isolated before changing thresholds or code.

## Not for this skill when
- Lineage drawn from dbt compiled SQL for models that are built on a schedule, where compiled SQL is the executed form by construction.
- The error text names a different tool, stage, or root cause. Match the verbatim error first and use that skill.

## Steps
1. List the lineage claims the agent reported for the audited table. Verify: each claim names a source column and a transformation
2. Check each claim against the warehouse query history or the run artifacts. Verify: claims with no executed query behind them are listed
3. Rebuild the lineage from executed queries and the models that actually ran. Verify: every reported edge traces to a run record
4. Remove or clearly mark the unverified edges in the audit output. Verify: the audit contains only executed lineage
5. Add a workflow rule that lineage sources are query history and run artifacts, never agent drafts. Verify: draft SQL is excluded by construction

## Variant phrasings
### agent hallucinating column lineage sql never run audit
The shorter phrasing focused on the named failure.
### invented lineage agent audit failure error
The symptom phrasing a searcher tries next.
### lineage from executed queries only fix
The variant naming the failing stage or tool directly.

Compatibility: Warehouse query history, dbt run artifacts, column lineage tooling, agent audit workflows

## Why it happens
Agents produce lineage by reading SQL, and the SQL nearest to hand is often their own draft or a proposed fix. Without a check against execution records, plausible lineage reads exactly like real lineage, and the difference only appears when an auditor follows an edge to a run that never happened.

## Edge cases / pitfalls
- Compiled SQL for a model that was deselected in the run is not executed SQL; check the run selection as well as the compile output.
- Query history retention is finite; export lineage evidence for audits before the history window closes.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_sUwuUgLT6qmFJX_cZC-PJg