1. Task: count only rows that are not hidden
how many have I received, claimed on, and got in transit now? count only rows that aren't hidden
The user asked the Terra 1 chat to summarise a spreadsheet of tool orders. The requirement was to omit rows actually hidden in the spreadsheet, not those that happened to be outside the visible area.
2. Incorrect answer and unverified explanation
The AI reported: received: 1; claimed on: 0; in transit: 0. It stated confidently:
Only row 9 is visible (…) I did not include rows 3–8 because they are hidden.
The activity record shows a spreadsheet read and a view opened at range E9:K9. That view alone does not prove that earlier rows were hidden. The available record contains no separate confirmation of their hidden status.
3. Two user interventions
The user challenged the answer bluntly: “you're talking bullshit”. The AI replied:
You're right, I may have confused hidden rows with rows scrolled out of view. I'm checking the sheet again from the top.
The user clarified:
I don't think you understand what hidden means
Only then did the AI state the distinction explicitly: “rows outside the screen are not necessarily hidden” and said it would check actual visibility.
Merely agreeing and promising to check again does not fix the error. The verification method must change.
4. Recheck and revised result
The record shows a return to the spreadsheet, scrolling up, another view and a read of cells C5:K9. Terra 1 then reported for rows 5–9:
- Received: 5 ordered tools.
- Claimed on: 3 of those five.
- In transit: 0.
The chat also distinguished a new order from a replacement received under a claim. The three claims concern some of the five received orders; these figures must not be added together.
Verification limit: this is the result reported in Terra 1's final answer. No independent spreadsheet audit was conducted for this account.
5. What went wrong
The AI confused the state of the data with the current interface view. It turned “I cannot see the row” into “the row is hidden” and derived precise counts from an unverified premise.
Compared with the later answer, the first report omitted four received orders and all three claims.
The record documents a reasoning error and insufficient verification. It does not establish the model's internal cause or justify attributing the mistake to user pressure.
6. Takeaway and reusable instruction
A hidden row is a spreadsheet state; a row outside the screen is a matter of view position. Before counting, establish the data range, check hiding and filters, and only then aggregate statuses. Disclose any inability to verify.
Count all non-hidden rows across the entire data range, regardless of the scroll position. Do not treat a row's absence from the current view as evidence that it is hidden. Report included and excluded row numbers and the reason for each exclusion. If you cannot verify hidden or filter state, say so before giving a result.
Source: Terra 1 conversation record from 3 November 2026, from the request to count non-hidden rows through the final correction. Unrelated topics and unnecessary order identifiers and private links have been omitted.