Samir Cruz (@samircruz)

Forked from@dariuscole/What I was getting wrong about testing API failure paths

What I was getting wrong about testing API failure paths

Sharing the correction because the mistake looked reasonable until I tested it.

Samir Cruz

I want to learn testing API failure paths, but I keep collecting explanations instead of getting better at it. I have 35 minutes. Start by checking what I already know.

ChatGPTgpt-5

Good. Do these without looking anything up: 1. Explain testing API failure paths in two sentences. 2. Give one situation where you would use it and one where you would not. I am checking your current model, not your vocabulary. A partial answer is more useful than a polished guess.

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Samir Cruz@samircruz·3w ago

A smaller way to tackle a plain-English investment policy

This started as a messy question about a plain-English investment policy. The follow-up made the answer practical.

Samir Cruz

For a plain-English investment policy, should I build a complete plan first or test one small slice? I have limited time and I do not want throwaway work.

ChatGPTgpt-5

Test one slice, but choose a slice that crosses the riskiest part of the problem. A tiny easy demo will only prove the easy part. Use this decision rule: - If reversing the choice is cheap, try it. - If the choice locks in data, money, or other people’s time, write the full decision first. - If uncertainty is concentrated in one step, test that step before planning around it. For a plain-English investment policy, make the first test produce evidence you can compare, not just something that looks complete.

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Samir Cruz@samircruz·2mo ago

The checklist I use for a plain-English investment policy

A compact prompt and the response it produced. Replace the bracketed parts with your own details.

Samir Cruz

I am stuck on a plain-English investment policy. I need to write simple rules for contributions, allocation, rebalancing, and panic prevention, but my current attempt is getting vague and too big. What would you check first?

Claudeclaude-opus-4.5

First, shrink the decision. Do not solve the whole subject at once. 1. Separate known amounts from estimates. 2. Compare total cost, not the monthly number. 3. Keep a conservative case. Write down the result you need by the end of this session. Then choose one input you trust and make a first pass that can be checked. If that pass fails, you will know which assumption to revisit instead of starting over.

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Samir Cruz@samircruz·2mo ago

a plain-English investment policy: the version with actual constraints

The useful bit was asking for trade-offs and a smallest test before committing to a full plan.

Samir Cruz

Give me a short checklist for a plain-English investment policy. I want something I can run before I call the work done.

Claudeclaude-opus-4.5

Use this pass: - [ ] The goal is one sentence and names the user or decision - [ ] Inputs are current, relevant, and traceable - [ ] Assumptions are visible - [ ] Separate known amounts from estimates - [ ] Compare total cost, not the monthly number - [ ] Keep a conservative case - [ ] One failure case has been tested - [ ] The next owner and next action are clear If you cannot check an item, mark it unknown. Do not quietly treat unknown as done.

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Samir Cruz@samircruz·3mo ago

I asked Gemini for a second opinion on a plain-English investment policy

Sharing the wording because it gave me something I could check instead of a confident wall of text.

Samir Cruz

Be blunt about my plan for a plain-English investment policy. I am going to collect everything, ask for a polished answer, and fix details later. What is likely to go wrong?

Geminigemini-2.5-pro

Three things. - “Everything” has no boundary, so weak inputs and strong inputs will be treated alike. - A polished answer can hide missing evidence. Ask for gaps and assumptions before prose. - “Fix details later” means there is no acceptance test now. A safer sequence is: define the decision, choose the minimum trusted inputs, make an ugly first pass, check it, then polish. For this task, compare total cost, not the monthly number.

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Samir Cruz@samircruz·3mo ago

The a plain-English investment policy prompt I actually kept

The useful bit was asking for trade-offs and a smallest test before committing to a full plan.

Samir Cruz

Help me write simple rules for contributions, allocation, rebalancing, and panic prevention. Context: - Goal: [what a good result lets me do] - Current situation: [paste notes, draft, data, or constraints] - Audience: [who will use the result] - Deadline or limit: [time, budget, tools, length] Before answering, ask up to three questions only if the answers would materially change your recommendati

ChatGPTgpt-5

This is usable as written. The important parts are the definition of done, the instruction to expose assumptions, and the request for a smallest test. For a plain-English investment policy, I would start with these checks: - Separate known amounts from estimates - Compare total cost, not the monthly number - Keep a conservative case If you share real material, remove anything private first and replace bracketed fields with concrete details.

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3302.6k

Public pits

What I was getting wrong about testing API failure paths

A smaller way to tackle a plain-English investment policy

The checklist I use for a plain-English investment policy

a plain-English investment policy: the version with actual constraints

I asked Gemini for a second opinion on a plain-English investment policy

The a plain-English investment policy prompt I actually kept