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notes/error-as-empty.md

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+# Error states rendered as empty states were the dominant novice-trust defect
+
+The single biggest "app feels broken/dumb" pattern was not missing features — it was hooks that
+captured `error` but components that never threaded it, so "No approvals yet" stood in for "the
+server is down" on trust/activity surfaces. A novice cannot distinguish broken from idle, which
+directly kills the "it remembers me" feeling (memory looks like it vanished). Fixed across 8
+surfaces in P7/D15 Track B (`Promise.allSettled` + explicit error/connecting/reconnect states in
+ApprovalsApp, RoomApp, CommandCenter, Files, Waggle/Events/Timeline). Rule going forward: every
+data surface needs loading / error / empty / populated as four distinct renders — empty must never
+be the fallback for failure.