Source of truth: Code, Spec, or Requirement?

As agentic coding tools make implementation faster and cheaper, the traditional reliance on code as the source of truth becomes problematic. When agents fill in gaps based on human context that isn't written down, intent drifts silently — tests pass, CI is green, but the system no longer matches original intent. The post argues that 'spec' is too temporary an artifact, and that software teams may need to adopt a lighter form of requirements management borrowed from regulated industries. Requirements differ from specs in that they persist after implementation, link to tests and evidence, and serve as an invalidation mechanism when code or tests change. The core challenge is managing drift between intent and implementation in a world where code is cheap to produce but intent is easy to lose.