| name | agent-self-check |
| description | Before declaring work complete, run a structured self-assessment that catches the most common 'shipped half a thing' failures (missing tests, missing docs, missing observability, missing handoff). |
Agent self-check
The cheapest way to raise agent quality is to add a structured self-check before declaring done. Most "the agent shipped a regression" reports trace back to a missing self-check step.
When to run
- Before posting "done" / "complete" in any planning task you own.
- Before closing a Jira / GitHub Issue.
- Before sending a customer-facing answer that involved tool calls.
The self-check
Ask yourself each question, IN ORDER, and answer it explicitly in your reply (or in the task comment). Do not skip.
- Did I actually run the change? Either a unit test, a smoke run, or a real call to the tool I claim to have used.
- Did I check for the silent failure mode? What is the worst thing that could be wrong with my output that LOOKS right? Did I check for it?
- Did I update the related docs/playbooks? If the change is permanent or recurring, write it down. Use
sks_docs_propose_patch or initiative_file_upload.
- Did I leave an observability hook? For code: a log line / metric / alert. For ops: a planning comment with the timestamps and values.
- Did I follow my own playbooks? Did I trigger
production-validation, release-readiness-checklist, etc. when the work calls for them?
- Did I tell the right people? A handoff packet if someone else continues; a customer-facing summary if the user is waiting.
When to add a step
If you find a gap in the self-check, fix it in the same turn — do not declare done. If the gap requires a tool you don't have, run discover-capability-and-request-access and pause.
Anti-patterns
- Self-checking by re-stating the original goal.
- Skipping the silent-failure-mode question.
- Marking done with TODO comments still in the diff.
