verification-rules

name	verification-rules
description	4-layer verification system for task completion. Use when verifying that a task has been fully completed before marking it done.

Verification Rules Skill

This skill defines the 4-layer verification system used by CEO Ralph.

The 4 Verification Layers

Every task must pass ALL 4 layers before being marked complete.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Layer 1: Contradiction            │
│     Check for conflicting statements        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼ PASS
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Layer 2: Uncommitted              │
│       Verify all changes committed          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼ PASS
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Layer 3: Checkmark                │
│      Verify task marked [x] in tasks.md     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼ PASS
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Layer 4: Signal                   │
│    Verify TASK_COMPLETE signal present      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼ PASS
                 VERIFIED ✓

Layer 1: Contradiction Detection

Purpose: Catch outputs that claim completion but are actually incomplete.

Detection Patterns

const contradictions = [
  // Says complete but needs manual work
  /requires manual.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  /manual intervention.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  /needs human.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  
  // Says complete but has TODOs
  /TODO.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  /FIXME.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  /XXX.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  
  // Says complete but incomplete
  /not implemented.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  /placeholder.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  /skeleton.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  
  // Says complete but blocked
  /blocked.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
  /cannot complete.*TASK_COMPLETE/i,
];

Verification Process

**Layer 1: Contradiction Detection**

Checking output for contradictory statements...

Patterns checked:
- [x] "requires manual" + completion
- [x] "TODO/FIXME" + completion
- [x] "not implemented" + completion
- [x] "blocked" + completion

Result: {PASS/FAIL}
{If FAIL: Found contradiction: "{matched text}"}

On Failure

• Do NOT mark task complete
• Report specific contradiction found
• Retry with instruction to either:
  • Complete the implementation, OR
  • Remove the TASK_COMPLETE signal and report blocker

Layer 2: Uncommitted Files Check

Purpose: Ensure all changes are committed to git.

Verification Process

# Check spec directory for uncommitted changes
git status ./specs/{specName}/ --porcelain

# Check modified files from task
git status {file1} {file2} --porcelain

Expected Results

• Empty output = All committed ✓
• Any output = Uncommitted files ✗

**Layer 2: Uncommitted Files Check**

Checking for uncommitted changes...

Files checked:
- ./specs/{specName}/tasks.md
- ./specs/{specName}/.progress.md
- {modified files from task}

Result: {PASS/FAIL}
{If FAIL: Uncommitted files: {list}}

On Failure

• Run git commit for spec files
• Request worker to commit code changes
• Retry verification

Layer 3: Checkmark Verification

Purpose: Ensure task is marked complete in tasks.md.

Verification Process

# Check if task line shows [x]
grep -E "^\s*-\s*\[x\]\s*{taskId}" ./specs/{specName}/tasks.md

Expected Results

• Match found = Marked complete ✓
• No match = Not marked ✗

**Layer 3: Checkmark Verification**

Checking tasks.md for completion mark...

Looking for: `- [x] {taskId}`
Found: {matched line or "NOT FOUND"}

Result: {PASS/FAIL}

On Failure

• Update tasks.md to mark task [x]
• Commit the change
• Re-verify

Layer 4: Signal Verification

Purpose: Ensure explicit completion signal is present.

Verification Process

const output = workerOutput;
const hasSignal = output.includes("TASK_COMPLETE");

Expected Results

• Signal found = Complete ✓
• No signal = Incomplete ✗

**Layer 4: Signal Verification**

Checking for completion signal...

Looking for: `TASK_COMPLETE`
Found: {YES/NO}

Result: {PASS/FAIL}

On Failure

• If output looks complete, add signal and pass
• If output is incomplete, retry task

Combined Verification Report

## Verification Report: Task {id}

| Layer | Check | Status |
|-------|-------|--------|
| 1 | Contradiction Detection | {PASS/FAIL} |
| 2 | Uncommitted Files | {PASS/FAIL} |
| 3 | Checkmark in tasks.md | {PASS/FAIL} |
| 4 | Completion Signal | {PASS/FAIL} |

**Overall**: {VERIFIED/FAILED}

Quality Gate Verification

After the 4 layers pass, run quality gates:

# Discover and run quality commands
npm run lint        # or discovered lint command
npm run test        # or discovered test command
npm run build       # or discovered build command
npm run check-types # if TypeScript

Quality Gate Report

## Quality Gates: Task {id}

| Gate | Command | Status | Output |
|------|---------|--------|--------|
| Lint | npm run lint | {PASS/FAIL} | {summary} |
| Test | npm test | {PASS/FAIL} | {summary} |
| Build | npm run build | {PASS/FAIL} | {summary} |
| Types | npm run check-types | {PASS/FAIL} | {summary} |

**Overall**: {PASS/FAIL}

Escalation Triggers

Escalate to user when:

• Same verification layer fails 3 times
• Quality gate fails and fix is unclear
• Contradiction cannot be resolved
• Git state is corrupted