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 running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always

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.

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

DorkOS Verification Commands

Claim	Command	What to check
Tests pass (full run)	pnpm test -- --run	0 failures, exit 0
Single test file	pnpm vitest run <path-to-test-file>	0 failures, exit 0
Linter clean	pnpm lint	0 errors, 0 warnings
Types check	pnpm typecheck	0 errors across all packages
Build succeeds	pnpm build	exit 0 for all packages

Gotcha: never use bare pnpm vitest run for a full run — in the dev environment it falsely fails 2 tests; full runs must go through Turborepo (pnpm test -- --run).

When scoped to a single package, prefer filtered commands:

• pnpm vitest run apps/server/src/path/to/test.ts
• pnpm --filter @dorkos/server typecheck

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 is not evidence
"Just this once"	No exceptions
"Linter passed"	Linter is not compiler
"Agent said success"	Verify independently
"I'm tired"	Exhaustion is not excuse
"Partial check is enough"	Partial proves nothing
"Different words so rule doesn't apply"	Spirit over letter

Key Patterns

Tests:

pnpm test -- --run
pnpm vitest run apps/client/src/layers/widgets/session/__tests__/SessionPage.test.tsx

Result: "Tests  34 passed (34)" "Test Files  1 passed (1)"
Only THEN: "All tests pass"

Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):

Write test -> Run (pass) -> Revert fix -> Run (MUST FAIL) -> Restore -> Run (pass)
Not: "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)

Build:

pnpm build
Result: exit 0, all packages built
Only THEN: "Build passes"
Not: "Linter passed" (linter does not check compilation)

Types:

pnpm typecheck
Result: 0 errors across all packages
Only THEN: "Types check"
Not: "Build passed" (build may skip strict checks)

Requirements:

Re-read plan -> Create checklist -> Verify each -> Report gaps or completion
Not: "Tests pass, phase complete"

Agent delegation:

Agent reports success -> Check VCS diff -> Verify changes -> Report actual state
Not: Trust agent report

Why This Matters

From 24 failure memories:

• the user said "I don't believe you" - trust broken
• Undefined functions shipped - would crash
• Missing requirements shipped - incomplete features
• Time wasted on false completion, then redirect, then 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
• Moving to next task
• Delegating to agents

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. Read the output. THEN claim the result.

This is non-negotiable.