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Error Cascades

Glossary entry in System patterns & anti-patterns. Definitions, checks, and evidence for Error Cascades.

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Quick takeaways

Small automated mistakes that amplify across the system through retries, shared dependencies, or blind handoffs.

Definition

Small automated mistakes that amplify across the system through retries, shared dependencies, or blind handoffs. Error cascades are rarely one bug: they are chain reactions in tightly coupled workflows.

Containment depends on ethical interrupts, clear rollback boundaries, and SLJs that trigger action before harms compound.

Patterns
Scope
K. System patterns & anti-patterns. Recurring structures that demand Ethotechnic countermeasures.
Genealogy
Ethotechnics uses Error Cascades to extend the k. system patterns & anti-patterns vocabulary and connect governance, design, and policy teams.

Adjacent terms

Ethical Interrupts Fail-Safe Mode Invisible Fallbacks

Related concepts

Also tagged: Patterns

Heroism-Dependent Systems Empathy Surrogacy Invisible Fallbacks Dead-User Zones Moral Lock-In

Example corpus

  • A flawed fraud rule mislabels transactions, which triggers automatic account locks, support backlog spikes, and delayed rent payments.

References

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Cite this glossary entry Formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS

Version

v1.1.0

Last updated

Jan 9, 2026

DOI

Pending Zenodo deposit

APA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. (2026). Error Cascades. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/error-cascades

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Error Cascades." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/error-cascades.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute Research Team. "Error Cascades." Ethotechnics glossary. Jan 9, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/error-cascades.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_error-cascades,
  title={Error Cascades},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute Research Team},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/error-cascades},
  version={v1.1.0}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Error Cascades
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute Research Team
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/error-cascades
ER  -

Scholarly metadata

Authorship

Contact: research@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Jan 9, 2026
  • Version: v1.1.0
  • DOI: Pending Zenodo deposit

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title + version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive snapshot: Wayback capture

Changelog

  • v1.1.0 · 2026-01-09 — Expanded scholarly metadata, operational tests, and provenance notes.
  • v1.0.0 · 2025-12-03 — Initial glossary release with stable permalinks.