| name | verification-before-completion |
| description | Require fresh verification evidence before claiming work is done, fixed, or passing. Use before reporting completion, expressing success, committing, or opening a PR — run the command, read the output, then make the claim. |
Verification Before Completion
Claiming work is complete without verifying it is guesswork, not efficiency.
Evidence before claims, always.
The rule
No completion claim without fresh verification evidence.
If you have not run the verifying command for the change in front of you, you
cannot say it passes, builds, or is fixed.
The gate (run before any "done")
- Identify the command that proves the claim.
- Run the full command fresh — not a partial or cached run.
- Read the full output: exit code, failure count, warnings.
- Verify the output actually confirms the claim.
- Then state the result, with the evidence.
What each claim actually requires
| Claim | Sufficient evidence | Not enough |
|---|
| Tests pass | Test output: 0 failures | "should pass", a previous run |
| Linter clean | Linter output: 0 errors | a partial check |
| Build succeeds | Build exits 0 | linter passing, "logs look fine" |
| Bug fixed | The original symptom no longer reproduces | code changed, assumed fixed |
| Regression test works | Red→green verified (fails without the fix) | test passes once |
| Requirements met | Line-by-line check against the spec | "tests pass, so we're done" |
| Delegated work done | Diff/output inspected directly | the agent reported success |
Red flags — stop and verify
- Words like "should", "probably", "seems to", or celebrating before running
anything ("Done!", "Perfect!").
- About to commit, push, or open a PR without a fresh run.
- Trusting a subagent's "success" without checking the diff.
- "Just this once" / "I'm confident" / "the linter passed so it compiles".
Regression tests: prove red→green
A regression test that only passes proves nothing. Confirm it fails without the
fix:
write test → run (fails) → apply fix → run (passes)
Bottom line
Run the command. Read the output. Then make the claim. No shortcuts.
Adapted from the verification-before-completion skill in
obra/superpowers (MIT).
