A single source of truth, often abbreviated SSOT, establishes where authoritative information should be read and changed. Other views may cache or present the information, but conflicts are resolved against the governed source.
Complex agent workflows need more than one unqualified file. A useful source of truth is versioned, conflict-aware and connected to provenance and approval, so new evidence can be reconciled without silently erasing earlier decisions.
Acronyms and aliases
SSOT acronymauthoritative source synonym
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why do AI agents need a single source of truth?
It reduces contradictory context and gives agents a governed place to retrieve current constraints and decisions.
Does a single source of truth delete conflicting history?
It should not. A well-designed system preserves provenance and prior versions while marking which record currently governs.
