In several places the API rightfully warns “Names are discouraged because they’re easily prone to being changed by users”. Has there been any thought about a radio button to lock names at least for table columns? It would be a small safeguard for accidentally renaming after API apps are in place.
Good suggestion – the best option for now would be to use Doc Locking, which would lock the doc schema (including column names) to prevent it from being accidentally changed by folks routinely using the doc. You will need to be on the Team or Enterprise plan to use this feature.