verification-before-completion

name	verification-before-completion
description	Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs. Requires current fingerprint-bound verification evidence; respects workflow-owned logical gates and attempts instead of duplicating commands.

Verification Before Completion

Overview

Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.

Core principle: Evidence before claims, always.

Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit of this rule.

Workflow-Owned Validation

When an active workflow provides a validation ledger, fresh evidence means current source-fingerprint-bound evidence in that ledger. Inspect it before a claim. Only the workflow's Leader may open a logical gate or an attempt inside it. A worker, passive skill, join, resume, or message must not start an extra gate or attempt merely to make a local claim.

For sp-implement, moving to the next Txx does not require another heavyweight test run. Record cheap task checks and test impact, then let the Leader verify the integrated change-set. The three-gate ledger remains shared across Implement and Review and must not be reset at handoff; interrupted attempts retry without consuming a gate.

The Iron Law

NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE

If the current source fingerprint has no accepted verification evidence, you cannot claim it passes. Evidence may come from the active workflow's canonical ledger; it need not be rerun in this message.

The Gate Function

BEFORE claiming any status or expressing satisfaction:

1. IDENTIFY: What command proves this claim?
2. RUN OR REUSE: Outside a workflow budget, execute the full proving command.
   Inside one, reuse a passed gate attempt for the unchanged fingerprint or ask
   the Leader to open the next attempt; do not run independently.
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	Current-fingerprint command output or accepted gate-attempt evidence: 0 failures	Stale 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 current verification evidence

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"

Standalone regression tests (TDD Red-Green):

✅ Outside a ledger-owned workflow: Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run
(MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)
✅ Inside a ledger-owned workflow: use its recorded change-set RED and integrated
GREEN evidence; do not manufacture three extra runs.
❌ "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

Why This Matters

From 24 failure memories:

• your human partner said "I don't believe you" - trust broken
• Undefined functions shipped - would crash
• Missing requirements shipped - incomplete features
• Time wasted on false completion → redirect → rework
• Violates: "Honesty is a core value. If you lie, you'll be replaced."

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
• Final workflow or delivery claims that are not already covered by current fingerprint-bound gate-attempt evidence

Rule applies to:

• Exact phrases
• Paraphrases and synonyms
• Implications of success
• ANY communication suggesting completion/correctness

The Bottom Line

No shortcuts for verification.

Run the command when you own the gate, or inspect the canonical current attempt when the workflow owns it. Read the evidence. Then claim only what it proves.

This is non-negotiable.