How I Think About Configuration Drift in Voiceware
What drift is, how reconciliation changes it, and when a manual change is a warning sign.
drift
A Local Remote-Tracking Ref Can Be Stale While Git Says You Match Upstream
Comparing HEAD with origin/main proves consistency with the last fetched view, not with the current remote repository.
Terraform ignore_changes Is an Ownership Boundary, Not a Drift Fix
ignore_changes tells Terraform that selected attributes may be controlled elsewhere after creation. Used casually, it can hide real drift and make configuration stop describing production.
Terraform Drift Detection Is Not the Same Thing as Drift Repair
A normal plan refreshes reality before calculating changes. Refresh-only mode updates Terraform's recorded view without changing infrastructure. The real decision is which side is authoritative.