verification-before-completion

Verification Before Completion

Announce at start: "I'm using the verification-before-completion skill to verify this work."

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

When to Apply

ALWAYS before:

• ANY variation of success/completion claims
• ANY expression of satisfaction ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!")
• ANY positive statement about work state
• Committing, PR creation, task completion
• Moving to next task
• Delegating to agents

Rule applies to:

• Exact phrases ("tests pass", "done", "fixed")
• Paraphrases and synonyms ("looks good", "ready", "complete")
• Implications of success ("moving on to...")
• ANY communication suggesting completion/correctness

Agent Report Verification

CRITICAL: Do not trust agent success reports.

Agent reports "success" → Verify independently

1. Check VCS diff: git diff HEAD~1
2. Verify changes exist and match expectations
3. Run verification commands yourself
4. THEN report actual state

Agents may:

• Report partial completion as full
• Claim tests pass without running them
• Miss requirements they don't understand
• Be optimistic about their work

Always verify, never trust.

Verification Patterns

Regression Test Verification (TDD Red-Green)

✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)
❌ "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)

Red Flags - STOP

• Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
• Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Done!")
• About to commit/push/PR without verification
• Trusting agent success reports
• Relying on partial verification
• Thinking "just this once"
• ANY wording implying success without having run verification

Rationalization Prevention

Examples

✅ [Run npm test] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
❌ "Should pass now"

✅ [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build succeeds"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't verify build)

✅ Re-read plan → Checklist each item → "Requirements met"
❌ "Tests pass, phase complete" (tests ≠ requirements)

Why This Matters

From real failure patterns:

• "I don't believe you" - trust broken with human partner
• Undefined functions shipped - would crash in production
• Missing requirements shipped - incomplete features delivered
• Time wasted: false completion → redirect → rework

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

Real-World Impact

The math is clear: 30 seconds verification beats hours of rework.

The Bottom Line

No shortcuts for verification.

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

This is non-negotiable.

Integration

This principle applies at every claim point:

• TDD - Verify RED, verify GREEN
• finishing-a-development-branch - Verify tests before merge options
• execute-plan - Each task verified before marking complete
• code review - Verify issues fixed before claiming addressed

Triggers independently when making claims outside formal workflows.