proof-of-work

name	proof-of-work
description	Enforces "prove before claim" discipline - validation, testing, and evidence requirements before declaring work complete. Triggers: completion, finished, done, working, should work, configured, ready to use, implemented, fixed Use when: claiming ANY work is complete, recommending solutions, stating something will work, finishing implementations DO NOT use when: explicitly asking questions or requesting clarification DO NOT use when: work is clearly in-progress and not claiming completion CRITICAL: This skill is MANDATORY before any completion claim. Violations result in wasted time and eroded trust.
category	workflow-methodology
tags	["validation","testing","proof","definition-of-done","acceptance-criteria"]
dependencies	["imbue:evidence-logging"]
tools	[]
usage_patterns	["completion-validation","acceptance-testing","proof-generation"]
complexity	intermediate
estimated_tokens	3000
modules	["modules/validation-protocols.md","modules/acceptance-criteria.md","modules/red-flags.md"]

Proof of Work

Philosophy: "Trust, but verify" is wrong. "Verify, THEN trust" is correct.

The Problem This Solves

Anti-Pattern:

"I've configured LSP for you. Just restart your session and it will work!"

Reality: Didn't test if cclsp starts, didn't verify tools are exposed, didn't check for known bugs.

Correct Pattern:

"Let me verify LSP configuration works..."

# Test cclsp starts
CCLSP_CONFIG_PATH=... npx cclsp@latest &
# Verify language servers respond
pylsp --help
# Check for known issues
<web search for bugs in current version>

"Found critical issue: Claude Code 2.0.76 has broken LSP (Issue #14803). Here's proof..."

Core Principle

Before claiming completion, you must provide evidence that the solution actually works (tested), edge cases are handled (validated), claims are accurate (proven), and future verification is possible (reproducible).

When to Use

MANDATORY Usage (Non-Negotiable)

This skill is required before any statement like "this will work", "should work", or "is ready". Apply it before claiming configuration or setup is complete, before recommending solutions without testing them, before saying "done" or "finished", and before telling users to "try this" or "restart and test".

Red Flags (You're About to Violate This)

Thought Pattern	Reality Check
"This configuration looks correct"	Did you TEST it works?
"After restart it should work"	Did you VERIFY the restart fixes it?
"The setup is complete"	Did you PROVE each component functions?
"Just enable X and Y"	Did you CHECK for known issues?
"This will fix your problem"	Did you REPRODUCE the problem first?
"The language servers are installed"	Did you CONFIRM they respond correctly?

Required TodoWrite Items

When applying this skill, create these todos:

1. proof:problem-reproduced - Verified the issue exists