Code RoomDetecting silent API contract changes
HardPrep Room Coding #4186

Detecting silent API contract changes

Vibe & agenticNetworking & APIsSenior–Staff~20 min

You asked an AI agent to "clean up and tighten types" in the request-handling module of a public REST API written in TypeScript. The PR looks tidy. Your concern: did it silently change the external contract (response shape, status codes, nullability, error envelope) that thousands of customers depend on? You don't want to read every line. What's your verification strategy to prove the public contract is unchanged?

Implement
diff_api_contract(baseline_fields: list[str], candidate_fields: list[str]) → list[str]
Examples
in[["id|string|required","email|string|optional"],["id|string|required","email|string|optional"]]out[]
in[["id|string|required","email|string|required","legacy|number|optional"],["id|number|required","email|string|optional","added|string|optional"]]out["breaking:now_optional:email","breaking:removed:legacy","breaking:type_changed:id","compatible:added:added"]
What a strong answer looks like

Treat the AI’s output as a draft to verify, not an answer to trust. Name the specific flaw and the input that triggers it, say how you’d catch it (tests, edge cases, reading critically), and how you’d re-prompt or decompose to get it right.

0:00 of about 20 min

Vibe & agentic: describe the solution in plain language (or narrate it) and the coach grades your approach.

Which questions mattered is sealed until you submit. Telling you now would just be handing over the edge cases.