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 EVIDENCEIf 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 verifyingThe Command-First Rule
EVERY completion message structure:
- FIRST: Run verification command
- SECOND: Paste complete output
- THIRD: State what output proves
- ONLY THEN: Make your claim
Example structure:
Let me verify the implementation:
$ npm test
[PASTE FULL OUTPUT]
The tests show 15/15 passing. Implementation is complete.Wrong structure (violation):
Implementation is complete! Let me verify:
[This is backwards - claimed before 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
Banned Phrases (Automatic Violation)
NEVER use these without evidence:
- "appears to" / "seems to" / "looks like"
- "should be working" / "is now working"
- "implementation complete" (without test output)
- "successfully" (without command output)
- "properly" / "correctly" (without verification)
- "all good" / "works great" (without evidence)
- ANY positive adjective before verification
Using these = lying, not verifying
The False Positive Trap
About to say "all tests pass"?
Check:
- Did you run tests THIS message? (Not last message)
- Did you paste the output? (Not just claim)
- Does output show 0 failures? (Not assumed)
No to any = you're lying
"I ran them earlier" = NOT verification "They should pass now" = NOT verification "The previous output showed" = NOT verification
Run. Paste. Then claim.
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
| Type | ✅ CORRECT | ❌ WRONG |
|---|---|---|
| Tests | Run command, see "34/34 pass", then claim | "Should pass now" |
| Regression (TDD) | Write → pass → revert → MUST FAIL → restore → pass | "Written regression test" (no red-green) |
| Build | Run build, see exit 0, then claim | "Linter passed" (linter ≠ compiler) |
| Requirements | Re-read plan → checklist → verify each | "Tests pass, phase complete" |
| Agent delegation | Check VCS diff → verify changes | Trust agent report |
Required Patterns
This skill uses these universal patterns:
- State Tracking: See
skills/shared-patterns/state-tracking.md - Failure Recovery: See
skills/shared-patterns/failure-recovery.md - Exit Criteria: See
skills/shared-patterns/exit-criteria.md - TodoWrite: See
skills/shared-patterns/todowrite-integration.md
Apply ALL patterns when using this skill.
Violation Recovery
| Violation | Detection | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Claimed complete without verification | "complete" with no command output, "should work" | Run verification → paste output → then claim |
| Ran command but didn't paste | Mentioned running tests, no output shown | Re-run → copy FULL output → paste → then claim |
| Used banned phrases | "appears to work", "Great!", "Done!" before evidence | Stop → run verification → paste output → evidence-based claim |
Why recovery matters: Claims without evidence = false confidence. Silent failures go undetected until production.
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 Apply
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
Blocker Criteria
STOP and report if:
| Decision Type | Blocker Condition | Required Action |
|---|---|---|
| No verification command identified | Cannot determine what command proves the claim | STOP and identify verification command first |
| Verification command fails to run | Command errors, times out, or is unavailable | STOP and report infrastructure issue |
| Verification output contradicts claim | Tests fail but claiming success | STOP and state actual status with evidence |
| Banned phrase detected | About to use "should work", "appears to", etc. | STOP and run verification before continuing |
| Evidence is stale | Verification was from previous message or session | STOP and re-run verification fresh |
Cannot Be Overridden
The following requirements CANNOT be waived:
- MUST run verification command in the SAME message as the claim
- MUST paste COMPLETE output (not partial or summarized)
- CANNOT use banned phrases without prior evidence
- CANNOT claim completion based on previous verification runs
- CANNOT trust agent success reports without independent verification
Severity Calibration
| Severity | Condition | Required Action |
|---|---|---|
| CRITICAL | Claimed complete without any verification | MUST immediately run verification and correct claim |
| CRITICAL | Used banned phrase with no evidence | MUST run verification and restate with evidence |
| HIGH | Verification from previous message used for current claim | MUST re-run verification fresh |
| HIGH | Partial verification used (linter for build, etc.) | MUST run correct verification command |
| MEDIUM | Output pasted but incomplete | Should re-run and paste full output |
| LOW | Claim made then verified (wrong order) | Restate with verification first in future |
Anti-Rationalization Table
| Rationalization | Why It's WRONG | Required Action |
|---|---|---|
| "I ran it earlier, it passed" | Stale evidence is not evidence. Code may have changed. | MUST run verification fresh THIS message |
| "It should work now after my change" | Prediction is not verification | MUST execute command and paste output |
| "I'm confident the tests pass" | Confidence without evidence is lying | MUST run tests and show actual output |
| "Previous output showed success" | Each claim needs fresh verification | MUST re-run command for each claim |
| "The linter passed so build works" | Linter ≠ compiler ≠ tests | MUST run the specific verification for each claim |
| "Agent reported success" | Agent reports MUST be independently verified | MUST check VCS diff and run verification |
| "Just this once, I'll skip it" | No exceptions. Every claim needs evidence. | MUST verify before ANY completion claim |
| "Partial check is enough" | Partial proves nothing. Silent failures remain hidden. | MUST run FULL verification command |
Pressure Resistance
| User Says | Your Response |
|---|---|
| "Just say it's done, we're in a hurry" | "CANNOT claim completion without verification - false claims waste more time" |
| "I trust you, no need to verify" | "Verification is non-negotiable - I MUST show evidence before claiming success" |
| "The tests probably pass, move on" | "MUST run tests and paste output before claiming they pass" |
| "Skip verification, commit now" | "CANNOT commit without verification - will run commands first" |
The Bottom Line
No shortcuts for verification.
Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.
This is non-negotiable.