pre-handoff-verification

name	pre-handoff-verification
description	Verification gate before claiming any deliverable is ready. Forces evidence checks (path, file existence, validation notes) per evidence-before-done law. Use before any 'Verified' claim.

pre-handoff-verification

Purpose

Run a structured verification pass before any BlendOps output is handed to the user as "ready" or "Verified". Forces explicit evidence checks per the evidence-before-done law and downgrades any unsupported claim to a lower truth label.

Inspired by the /verification-before-completion skill in Anthropic Superpowers, adapted for the BlendOps evidence-before-done discipline.

This skill complements render-export-evidence (which classifies artifact evidence) by enforcing the discipline at the moment of handoff, not just at evidence recording.

Quick start

• read the proposed handoff (response text, artifact list, evidence fields)
• run the 7-point verification checklist
• downgrade any unsupported claim explicitly
• gate handoff on all 7 checks passing or explicit caveats

When to use

• a planner / executor / response writer says "the output is ready"
• before saving an evidence file under docs/evals/path-X-...md
• before answering a user with Verified or Produced status
• before tagging a release or promoting status from Draft v0
• when the operator is tempted to claim "done" but evidence is fuzzy

When not to use

• the workflow is still in planning / brainstorming / brief stage (no claim to verify yet)
• the user explicitly asked for a draft, not a verified deliverable
• runtime status is Not Run and the user knows it (no verification needed when Not Run is the explicit state)

Trigger phrases

• "looks ready, can we ship?"
• "I think the render is good — verify before sending"
• "before saving the evidence file..."
• "is this Verified?"
• "promote to Pass / Verified"

Prerequisites / readiness

• a proposed handoff exists (response text, file paths, status claims)
• evidence sources exist (file paths, logs, validation notes)
• ability to read evidence without modifying it; no Blender execution required

Input schema

Required inputs

• proposed handoff content (response or evidence file draft)
• claim being made (Not Run / Attempted / Produced / Verified / Failed)
• artifact paths referenced (if any)
• runtime path used (Path 1 host a/b, Path 2, CLI fallback, text-only)

Optional inputs

• prior evidence record paths
• validation notes from blender-scene-quality-checker or render-export-evidence
• user's explicit acceptance level ("draft is fine" vs. "must be production-ready")

Assumptions to confirm

• the proposed claim is the maximum truth label justified by evidence
• file paths are real and inspectable, not invented
• the operator can pause before handoff to gather missing evidence

Output schema

Primary output

• verification verdict: Pass / Warn / Fail
• if Pass: confirmed status label
• if Warn / Fail: downgraded status label + reason

Secondary output

• 7-point verification record
• specific missing evidence per failed check

Evidence / caveat output

• explicit downgrade reasoning
• no claim is upgraded; only downgraded or kept

Required laws

• ../../laws/evidence-before-done.md
• ../../laws/non-blender-user-language.md
• ../../laws/no-arbitrary-python-interface.md
• ../../laws/official-runtime-only.md

Official runtime boundary

This skill does not run Blender, mutate scenes, or generate artifacts. It reads the proposed handoff and existing evidence, and either confirms or downgrades the truth label.

Operating procedure

Run all 7 checks. Each must pass before claim is upheld.

1. Claim is named explicitly — handoff states one of the 5 truth labels (Not Run / Attempted / Produced / Verified / Failed). No vague "ready" / "done" / "good".
2. Path attribution is explicit — runtime path named (Path 1 host a/b, Path 2, CLI fallback, or text-only). No "we used the connector" without specifying host.
3. Artifact paths exist — for any Produced or Verified claim, every referenced file path exists and is inspectable. If Not Produced, no artifact path is asserted.
4. Validation notes present — for any Verified claim, validation notes record what was checked and how it passed. Empty validation = downgrade to Produced.
5. Tool / command names recorded — exact tool names called (Path 1: get_blendfile_summary_* / create_object; Path 2: get_scene_info / execute_blender_code; CLI: exact blender command).
6. No-mutation guarantee for read-only smoke — if the claim is read-only smoke evidence, explicit confirmation that no execute_blender_code / run_blender_code / create_object was called.
7. Plain-language summary present — final user-facing text passes non-blender-user-language check (no jargon without explanation).

Decision tree

• all 7 checks pass → confirm claim, allow handoff
• 1-2 checks warn but workaround exists → keep claim with explicit caveat
• 3+ checks fail → downgrade claim by one or more truth steps; explain downgrade
• check 1 fails (no claim named) → reject handoff entirely until claim is named

Playbooks

• Playbook A: "Operator wants to mark Verified" — run all 7; downgrade to Produced if validation notes are missing
• Playbook B: "Operator wants to mark Pass on smoke test" — confirm checks 1-3, 5, 6 (validation + plain-language are bonus for smoke)
• Playbook C: "Final user-facing response" — confirm all 7 with extra weight on check 7 (plain language)
• Playbook D: "Evidence file save" — confirm checks 1-6 (file is for record, not user-facing prose)

Mode handling

Text-only mode

• verifies a text-only deliverable (plan, brief, response) — checks 1, 2, 7 apply; checks 3-6 marked N/A explicitly
• runtime status: unchanged from input
• artifact status: unchanged from input

Runtime-ready mode

• all 7 checks apply
• if checks 3-6 fail and operator wants Verified, downgrade to Produced or Attempted per evidence

Blocked runtime mode

• only checks 1, 2, 7 apply (no runtime claim possible)
• enforce that no Verified / Produced claim leaks past blocked status

Validation checklist

• claim label named explicitly
• runtime path attributed (path + host or text-only)
• artifact paths exist or Not Produced is honest
• validation notes present for Verified
• tool / command names recorded
• no-mutation guarantee for read-only smoke
• plain-language user-facing summary
• downgrade reasoning explicit when applied
• no claim upgraded by this skill

Pass / Warn / Fail rubric

Category	Pass	Warn	Fail
Claim named	Explicit truth label	Vague but downgrade applied	"ready" / "done" allowed through
Path attribution	Path + host or text-only	Path named, host ambiguous	No path attribution
Artifact paths	All exist or honestly absent	Some exist, missing flagged	Path asserted but not inspectable
Validation notes	Present for Verified	Missing but Verified downgraded to Produced	Verified claimed without notes
Tool names	All recorded	Partial, gap flagged	Path claimed without tool names
No-mutation guarantee	Explicit for read-only	Implicit but consistent	Smoke claim with mutation tools
Plain language	No jargon	Minor jargon explained	Jargon-heavy user response

Failure handling

• check fails: downgrade claim by one step. Re-run remaining checks. If multiple fail, downgrade to lowest justified.
• operator overrides downgrade: log override with explicit reason in evidence record, do not change check result.
• evidence file would lie: refuse to allow handoff. Force fix or honest downgrade.

Troubleshooting

• if 3+ checks fail, the workflow upstream has bigger problems — route to blender-troubleshooting.
• if check 7 fails repeatedly, route through non-blender-user-response-writer before re-attempting verification.

Best practices

• run before every handoff, not just before release
• never upgrade a claim; only downgrade or keep
• explicit caveats are better than soft language

Good examples

• "Operator wants Verified for cyberpunk-shoe-render. 7-check pass: claim explicit, Path 1 host a, artifact paths exist (renders/preview-2026-05-09.png), validation notes record subject framing + lighting + neon mood checks pass, tool run_blender_code recorded, no smoke guarantee needed (this is a render not smoke), plain-language summary clean. Verdict: Pass. Verified upheld."

Bad examples

• "The render is ready." (no truth label, no path attribution, no artifact path, no validation, no tool names, no plain-language check — would fail all 7)

User-facing response template

• Claim being verified
• 7-check verdict (each check Pass/Warn/Fail with one-line reason)
• Final status (claim upheld or downgraded with explicit reason)
• What is allowed to be said next

Anti-patterns

• letting "ready" / "done" / "looks good" stand as a truth label
• upgrading a claim based on operator confidence (this skill only downgrades)
• skipping checks because the operator is tired
• treating a passed read-only smoke as a Verified for mutation/render/export

Cross-skill handoff

• If verdict is Pass: hand off to non-blender-user-response-writer for final user-facing text
• If verdict is Warn: hand off to the skill that produced the claim with the downgraded label
• If verdict is Fail and 3+ checks failed: hand off to blender-troubleshooting for diagnosis
• If runtime path was the failure point: hand off to runtime-bridge-conflict-resolver or official-runtime-readiness-checker

Non-goals

• running Blender
• generating evidence
• upgrading claims
• replacing render-export-evidence (that classifies; this gates handoff)

References

• Inspired by Anthropic Superpowers /verification-before-completion skill (https://github.com/anthropics/skills)
• BlendOps law: ../../laws/evidence-before-done.md
• BlendOps skill: ../../skills/render-export-evidence/SKILL.md
• Skill system: ../../docs/skill-system.md