verify-findings

name	verify-findings
description	Verify code-review or security-review findings for false positives using deep codebase tracing, framework-aware analysis, and web research. Produces a .verified.md report alongside the original. Use when a review report has been generated and needs independent verification, or when user runs /verify-findings, mentions "verify review", "check false positives", or "validate findings".
context	fork
argument-hint	<report-path>

Verify Review Findings

Independent false-positive verification. Assume every finding is false until proven by evidence.

Parse Arguments

• $ARGUMENTS (required): Path to the review report file to verify

If no argument is provided, ask the user for the report path.

Step 1 — Read and Parse Report

1. Read the report file at the provided path
2. Detect review type from the header:
   • "Pragmatic Code Review Report" → code review
   • "Security Review Report" → security review
3. Extract each finding into a structured list:
   • Triage level (Blocker, Improvement, Question)
   • File path and line number
   • Description and confidence/severity scores
   • For security: CWE, category, exploit scenario
4. Skip Praise and Nit findings — only verify Blocker, Improvement, and Question

Step 2 — Verify Each Finding

For each extracted finding, perform independent verification. See WORKFLOW.md for detailed procedures.

Code Review Findings

1. Read the flagged code at the specified line with ~50 lines of surrounding context
2. Grep the codebase for the same pattern to check if it's an established convention
3. Verify the cited principle — does SOLID/DRY/KISS/YAGNI actually apply here?
4. Check framework handling — does the framework or library address this concern automatically?
5. Assess concrete impact — is the problem demonstrable or theoretical?

Security Review Findings

1. Read the flagged code and trace data flow from source to sink
2. Grep for sanitizers/validators in the code path between source and sink
3. Detect framework protections — React auto-escaping, Spring Security, Django ORM parameterization, etc.
4. WebSearch the CWE/CVE for known false positive patterns and framework-specific mitigations
5. Verify exploit feasibility — is the exploit scenario actually possible in this application context?
6. Check code context — is this test-only code, behind authentication, or behind a feature flag?

Step 3 — Render Verdict

For each finding, assign one of:

Verdict	Criteria	Action
CONFIRMED	Evidence supports the finding	Keep in report, add verification note
DISMISSED	Finding is a false positive	Move to Dismissed section with explanation
DOWNGRADED	Valid but lower severity/confidence	Adjust scores, add explanation

Decision rules: See WORKFLOW.md for the complete verdict decision matrix.

Default to CONFIRMED if uncertain after thorough investigation (conservative approach).

Step 4 — Generate Verified Report

1. Create the verified report at: {original-path-without-extension}.verified.md
   • Example: reviews/code/2026-03-01_14-30-00_code-review.md → reviews/code/2026-03-01_14-30-00_code-review.verified.md
2. Preserve original structure — keep the same header, PR assessment, and format
3. Add verification header:

**Verified by**: Claude Code (false-positive-verifier)
**Verification Date**: {ISO 8601 date}

## Verification Summary
| Metric | Count |
|--------|-------|
| **Findings Reviewed** | {N} |
| **Confirmed** | {N} |
| **Downgraded** | {N} |
| **Dismissed** | {N} |
| **Signal Ratio** | {confirmed / total reviewed}% |

4. Annotate confirmed findings with verification notes:

> **Verification**: CONFIRMED — {evidence summary}

5. Append Dismissed Findings section:

## Dismissed Findings

### Dismissed 1: `{file}:{line}` — {Original description}
- **Original Triage**: {Blocker/Improvement/Question}
- **Original Confidence**: {score}
- **Reason**: {Why this is a false positive}
- **Evidence**: {What was checked — grep results, framework docs, web research}

6. Update Verdict with revised counts and recommendation

See WORKFLOW.md for the complete report template. See EXAMPLES.md for sample verified reports.

Output Instructions

1. Save the verified report alongside the original
2. Display the full verified report to the user
3. Confirm: "Verified report saved to: {path}"

Resources

• WORKFLOW.md — Detailed verification procedures, verdict decision matrix, web research protocol, report template
• EXAMPLES.md — Sample verified reports for code and security reviews
• TROUBLESHOOTING.md — Common issues with input parsing, verification quality, and output