Verification Before Completion

Overview

Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.

Core principle: Evidence before claims, always.

Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit of this rule.

The Iron Law

NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE

If you haven't run the verification command in this message, you cannot claim it passes.

The Gate Function

BEFORE claiming any status or expressing satisfaction:

1. IDENTIFY: What command proves this claim?

2. RUN: Execute the FULL command (fresh, complete)

3. READ: Full output, check exit code, count failures

4. VERIFY: Does output confirm the claim?

   - If NO: State actual status with evidence

   - If YES: State claim WITH evidence

5. ONLY THEN: Make the claim

Skip any step = lying, not verifying

Common Failures

Claim

Requires

Not Sufficient

Tests pass

Test command output: 0 failures

Previous run, "should pass"

Linter clean

Linter output: 0 errors

Partial check, extrapolation

Build succeeds

Build command: exit 0

Linter passing, logs look good

Bug fixed

Test original symptom: passes

Code changed, assumed fixed

Regression test works

Red-green cycle verified

Test passes once

Agent completed

VCS diff shows changes

Agent reports "success"

Requirements met

Line-by-line checklist

Tests passing

Red Flags - STOP

• Using "should", "probably", "seems to"

• Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!", etc.)

• About to commit/push/PR without verification

• Trusting agent success reports

• Relying on partial verification

• Thinking "just this once"

• Tired and wanting work over

• ANY wording implying success without having run verification

Rationalization Prevention

Excuse

Reality

"Should work now"

RUN the verification

"I'm confident"

Confidence ≠ evidence

"Just this once"

No exceptions

"Linter passed"

Linter ≠ compiler

"Agent said success"

Verify independently

"I'm tired"

Exhaustion ≠ excuse

"Partial check is enough"

Partial proves nothing

"Different words so rule doesn't apply"

Spirit over letter

Key Patterns

Tests:

✅ [Run test command] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"

❌ "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"

Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):

✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)

❌ "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)

Build:

✅ [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"

❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)

Requirements:

✅ Re-read plan → Create checklist → Verify each → Report gaps or completion

❌ "Tests pass, phase complete"

Agent delegation:

✅ Agent reports success → Check VCS diff → Verify changes → Report actual state

❌ Trust agent report

Why This Matters

From 24 failure memories:

• your human partner said "I don't believe you" - trust broken

• Undefined functions shipped - would crash

• Missing requirements shipped - incomplete features

• Time wasted on false completion → redirect → rework

• Violates: "Honesty is a core value. If you lie, you'll be replaced."

When to Use

ALWAYS before:

• ANY variation of success/completion claims

• ANY expression of satisfaction

• ANY positive statement about work state

• Committing, PR creation, task completion

• Moving to next task

• Delegating to agents

Rule applies to:

• Exact phrases

• Paraphrases and synonyms

• Implications of success

• ANY communication suggesting completion/correctness

The Bottom Line

No shortcuts for verification.

Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.

This is non-negotiable.

When to Use

This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview.

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.

• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.

• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.