I agree, framing it as a mental model makes sense.

Here’s the issue: when a site rejects my password, I understand the potential reasons—wrong site, wrong account, or forgotten password update. But what does it mean when a passkey fails? How can I resolve this? Is it even fixable?

My lone attempt to use a passkey for login involved an unrecognized fingerprint authentication, leading to repeated failures and ultimately, a return to traditional passwords due to the opaque nature of passkeys.

For now, I’ll stick with what I understand.