| name | nobody-verifies-before-completion |
| description | Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing — requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims |
Verification Before Completion
Overview
Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.
Core principle: Evidence before claims, always.
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
Before claiming ANY status:
- IDENTIFY — What command proves this claim?
- RUN — Execute the FULL command (fresh, complete)
- READ — Full output, check exit code, count failures
- VERIFY — Does output confirm the claim?
- 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" |
| Build succeeds | Build output: exit 0 | Linter passing |
| Bug fixed | Original symptom test: passes | Code changed, assumed fixed |
| Requirements met | Line-by-line checklist | Tests passing |
Red Flags — STOP
- Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
- Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Done!")
- About to commit/push without verification
- Trusting subagent success reports without checking
- Relying on partial verification
Rationalization Prevention
| Excuse | Reality |
|---|
| "Should work now" | RUN the verification |
| "I'm confident" | Confidence ≠ evidence |
| "Just this once" | No exceptions |
| "Partial check is enough" | Partial proves nothing |
| "Agent said success" | Verify independently |
The Bottom Line
Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result. Non-negotiable.
