Glossary · title-lie
GLOSSARY
Title lie
A cell in a file's pre-header that looks like identity evidence but asserts nothing: an unfilled template name, a saved report title, a label the vendor never updates. A title lie is identical across two different exports from the same system, so accepting it lets every file prove its own identity.
Principle 4 · Filenames lie
Where does Title lie come from?
Principle 4 of the Kymira doctrine, Filenames lie. Title lie is the name the doctrine gives to what that principle requires in practice.
What does it look like on a real file?
A pre-header cell that reads the same on every export from that portal proves nothing about which account this file holds.
Not for
Not for pre-header cells that vary between exports. A cell that changes with the account or the period is evidence, and it is located, not scavenged.
Nearest terms
Last updated 2026-09-02 · Dylan, founder · one of 40 terms in the Kymira glossary, each one named after something we watched go wrong in a real build or in our own audits.