goal-backward-verification

name	goal-backward-verification
description	Verify that task outputs actually achieve stated goals through 4 progressive levels of verification
version	1
model	sonnet
invoked_by	both
user_invocable	true
tools	["Read","Glob","Grep","Bash"]
verified	true
best_practices	["Always verify from Exists through Functional in order","Log warnings for advisory mode without blocking","Report structured results for downstream consumption"]
error_handling	graceful
streaming	supported
source	builtin
trust_score	100
provenance_sha	a1cc590ab2e08efb

Goal-Backward Verification

Verify that task outputs actually achieve stated goals through 4 progressive levels of verification. Works backward from the goal to verify each artifact exists, is substantive, is wired into the system, and passes functional tests.

When to Invoke

Skill({ skill: 'goal-backward-verification' });

Invoke when:

• A task claims completion and you need to verify the output
• QA agent is validating deliverables from a pipeline
• Post-pipeline drain gate needs artifact validation
• Reflection-agent is scoring task completeness

Verification Levels

Level 1: Exists

Verify the expected output artifact is present on disk.

# Check file existence
test -f <expected_path> && echo "PASS: File exists" || echo "FAIL: File missing"

Pass: File exists at expected path. Fail: File missing — task did not produce expected output.

Level 2: Substantive

Verify the file contains real content, not a stub or placeholder.

Checks:

• File has more than 10 non-empty, non-comment lines
• File does not consist primarily of TODO, PLACEHOLDER, FIXME, or stub markers
• For code files: at least one function/class definition present
• For markdown: at least one heading and paragraph of content

# Count substantive lines (non-empty, non-comment)
grep -cvE '^\s*(//|#|\*|$|TODO|PLACEHOLDER|FIXME|STUB)' <file>

Pass: File has substantive content (>10 real lines). Fail: Stub detected — file exists but contains no real implementation.

Level 3: Wired

Verify the artifact is imported, referenced, or registered by the system.

Checks:

• For .cjs/.js modules: at least 1 require() or import reference in other files
• For skills: listed in an agent's frontmatter or skill-index.json