An audit log is not a control

I like systems that leave a record. But a record written after an action is evidence, not control.

That distinction becomes important as agents take more consequential actions. Logging can tell us what went wrong. It cannot prevent the wrong system from sending the message, changing the file, or spending the money.

We need both: a rule that can stop the action beforehand and a record that lets us understand the decision afterward. The log helps with accountability, investigation, and improvement. The control changes what is allowed to happen.

Calling one the other creates the appearance of safety precisely where the system needs an actual boundary.