verification-before-completion

# Verification Before Completion ## Overview **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 EVIDENCE ``` If 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 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** ## 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 **Tests:** ``` ✅ [Run test command] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass" ❌ "Should pass now" / "Looks correct" ``` **Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):** ``` ✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass) ❌ "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification) ``` **Build:** ``` ✅ [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes" ❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation) ``` **Requirements:** ``` ✅ Re-read plan → Create checklist → Verify each → Report gaps or completion ❌ "Tests pass, phase complete" ``` **Agent delegation:** ``` ✅ Agent reports success → Check VCS diff → Verify changes → Report actual state ❌ Trust agent report ``` ## 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