# Log-as-Control-Flow

> A defect in which a failure is logged as though logging handled it, and execution continues.

Record: `architecture:log-as-control-flow`
Kind: anti-pattern
Layer: [Enforcement Core](https://banes-lab.com/records/layer/enforcement-core.md)
Severity: discouraged
Scope: correctness_verification, resilience_recovery
Canonical: https://banes-lab.com/ontology#architecture-log-as-control-flow

Listed in [Architecture principles](https://banes-lab.com/api/records/architecture.md), after [Observability Noise](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/observability-noise.md) and before [Manual Runbook Dependency](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/manual-runbook-dependency.md).

## Repair

- Refactored by: return_typed_error, fail_fast_or_fallback, add_recovery_policy, alert_critical_failure
- Detected by: catch_log_continue, logged_error_without_return_or_throw, critical_log_no_alert
- Violated by: Log errors or warnings as if logging itself handles the failure, while the system continues without recovery, propagation, or safe fallback.
- Measured by: catch blocks that log and continue
- Enforced by: a lint rule against catch blocks that only log

## Severity

- [discouraged](https://banes-lab.com/records/vocabulary/severity-discouraged.md)

## Category

- [Anti-patterns](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture-category/anti-patterns.md)

## Force

- [Correctness verification](https://banes-lab.com/records/force/correctness-verification.md)
- [Resilience recovery](https://banes-lab.com/records/force/resilience-recovery.md)

## Negated by

- [Logging](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/logging.md)

## Linked from

- [Anti-patterns](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/principles/architecture-category-anti-patterns.md)
- [Observability / Auditability / Traceability](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/principles/architecture-category-observability-auditability-traceability.md)
- [Core Vocabulary](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/lexicon/lexicon-category-core-vocabulary.md)
- [Severity levels](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema/the-vocabulary-severity.md)
- [The forces](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema/the-forces.md)