diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 90b359d7..706c2399 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 2026-09-17
+
+### Changes
+
+- [Pilot] When the app reports an action succeeded but the record is not visible on the page, Pilot now asks
+  the API whether it was stored instead of failing on what the screenshot shows. A record the API cannot find
+  is still a failure. Needs API access configured; without it, Pilot judges from the page as before.
+
 ## 2026-09-16
 
 ### Configuration
diff --git a/src/ai/fisherman/tools.ts b/src/ai/fisherman/tools.ts
index ac435cbc..3a43fe46 100644
--- a/src/ai/fisherman/tools.ts
+++ b/src/ai/fisherman/tools.ts
@@ -221,13 +221,19 @@ export function createAskApiTool(fisherman: Fisherman | null, task: Test) {
   return {
     askApi: tool({
       description: dedent`
-        Ask what data already exists, changing nothing.
-        Ask a question about existing records: which ones are there, what they are called, whether a particular one exists.
-        Use it before precondition() to see whether suitable data is already available, and whenever a step needs the exact name or id of a record that is already there.
+        Read the app's data over the API, changing nothing.
+        Answers questions about records: which ones are there, what they are called, whether a particular one exists.
+
+        Use it to:
+        - check whether suitable data already exists, before precondition() creates any
+        - get the exact name or id of a record a step must act on
+        - find out whether an action was stored, when the app reported success but the page does not show the result
+        - find out whether data exists at all, when a list or dropdown is empty
+
         It never creates, edits or deletes anything — precondition() does that.
       `,
       inputSchema: z.object({
-        question: z.string().describe('What to find out about data that already exists'),
+        question: z.string().describe('What to find out about the data'),
       }),
       execute: async ({ question }) => {
         tag('info').log(`Ask API: ${question}`);
diff --git a/src/ai/pilot.ts b/src/ai/pilot.ts
index f241fded..b719905a 100644
--- a/src/ai/pilot.ts
+++ b/src/ai/pilot.ts
@@ -1157,9 +1157,14 @@ export class Pilot implements Agent {
 
       YOUR Pilot-only tools, both over the API:
 
-      askApi(question) — ask what data already exists. It changes nothing. Use it to check whether
-      suitable data is already there before creating any, and to get the exact name or id of an existing
-      record a step must act on.
+      askApi(question) — read the app's data over the API. It changes nothing. Use when:
+
+      - Before precondition() — check whether suitable data already exists.
+      - A step needs the exact name or id of an existing record.
+      - The app reported success but the page does not show the result — ask whether it was stored.
+      - A list or dropdown is empty — ask whether the data exists at all.
+
+      The page is not the only witness. A record missing from the page may still exist.
 
       precondition(description) — create FRESH disposable test data. Never request users. Use when: