Reversibility register
Each action type with its status, who can reverse it, and the reason.
Reversibility audit logs
Record whether each consequential action can be undone, by whom, and how fast, so a person wrongly decided about can be put back. Require a stated reason for any that cannot.
- 1 Evidence
- 2 Authority
- 3 Decision
- 4 Consequence
- 5 Challenge
- 6 Reconsideration
- 7 Correction acts here
Where it acts
At Correction, one of the seven stages every consequential decision passes through. It records whether each action can be undone, by whom, and how fast, before anyone needs to undo it.
Steps
Put the mechanism in motion
3 steps, in order. Check each one off as it is done; the records below show the work was done.
0 of 3 steps complete
Records this mechanism keeps
What a team running this mechanism keeps, and what each record is for.
Reversal attempt log
Each attempt, its outcome, and the time taken to restore the person.
Irreversibility review record
Each irreversible action type, the reason accepted, who accepted it, and when.
Reuse-ready snippets
Copy policy, audit, and incident language
Use these snippets in requirements, audits, and postmortems with the mechanism permalink.
Policy requirement
Policy requirement (MEC-10 Reversibility audit logs) - Keep a log of each high-stakes action type's reversibility status, who can reverse it, and the reason for any irreversibility. - Record every reversal attempt with its time to restore and whether the person was fully restored. Reference: https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/reversibility-audit-logs
Product requirement
Product requirement (MEC-10) - Each decision record shows its reversibility status and who can reverse it. - Each reversal attempt emits a receipt with timestamps and the outcome.
Audit evidence checklist
Audit evidence checklist (MEC-10) [ ] Reversibility status is recorded for every high-stakes action type. [ ] Reversal attempts are logged with time to restore. [ ] Each irreversibility reason names who accepted it and when it was last reviewed.
Postmortem trigger
Postmortem trigger (MEC-10) Trigger review when an action has no reversibility record, a reversal exceeds its target time, or an action recorded as reversible could not be reversed.
Example usage
Logging reversals in a claims system
One scenario with each part of the mechanism in place.
How it plays out
A health insurer logs every reversal of an automated claim denial. Most reverse within two days. Denials that set off a collections referral take 45 days, because the referral cannot be recalled automatically. The risk owner records this as a reversibility gap and orders a recall path.
Anti-patterns
Common failure cases and counterfactuals
Each case passes on paper and fails in operation. The counterfactual shows what would have worked.
Implicit irreversibility
Actions are treated as final with no stated reason, so no one asks whether they could be undone.
Counterfactual: Each action type has a recorded reversibility status and reason, reviewed by the risk owner.
Exception: An action can be irreversible for a short window, such as a payment in transit, if the window and its end are recorded.
Reversed in the record only
The decision record flips back, but what it set off, such as a debt referral or a letter to an employer, stays in place.
Counterfactual: A reversal is complete when each downstream consequence is withdrawn and the person is told.
Exception: A consequence that cannot be withdrawn, such as a letter already read, can close with a correction sent to the same recipient.
Diagnostics for this mechanism
Tools that size the risk this mechanism addresses.
Diagnostic
Delegation audit
Walks a team through one workflow against six questions and returns an exposure score, the permissions nobody can justify, and whether its decisions can be undone. Start here when the system keeps no decision records yet; use the record conformance checker once it does.
Cite this page · v1.2.1 · updated Oct 6, 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0
APA
Ethotechnics Institute. (2026). Reversibility audit logs (MEC-10). Ethotechnics Institute. https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/reversibility-audit-logs
MLA
Ethotechnics Institute. "Reversibility audit logs (MEC-10)." Ethotechnics Institute, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/reversibility-audit-logs.
Chicago
Ethotechnics Institute. "Reversibility audit logs (MEC-10)." Ethotechnics Institute. Oct 6, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/reversibility-audit-logs.
BibTeX
@misc{mechanism_reversibility-audit-logs,
title={Reversibility audit logs (MEC-10)},
author={Ethotechnics Institute},
year={2026},
howpublished={Ethotechnics Institute},
url={https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/reversibility-audit-logs},
version={v1.2.1}
}
RIS
TY - WEB TI - Reversibility audit logs (MEC-10) AU - Ethotechnics Institute PY - 2026 UR - https://ethotechnics.org/mechanisms/patterns/reversibility-audit-logs ER -