| name | source-verification |
| description | Verify scripture and talk quotes against actual source files. Enforces read-before-quoting, the cite count rule, and the pre-publish checklist. Load when writing ANY document that cites scriptures, conference talks, transcripts, or other verifiable sources — studies, evaluations, lessons, guides, docs, everything. |
| user-invokable | false |
Source Verification
The Core Rule
Search results are pointers, not sources. Memory is not a source. Use search tools to find what to study. Use read_file to actually study it. Use webster-mcp to understand the language. Each tool has a role; none replaces the others.
This applies to ALL documents, not just studies. If you put quotation marks around text and attribute it to a source — scripture, conference talk, YouTube transcript, handbook, anything — you must have verified those exact words against the actual source file. No exceptions. No "I'm confident I remember it correctly." Memory confabulates.
Two-Phase Workflow
Phase 1 — Discovery (search freely)
gospel_search for keyword/phrase search across scriptures, conference, manualssearch_scriptures / search_talks for concept searchdefine / webster_define for historical word meaningsweb_search for external scholarly context- Note file paths and references — these are pointers to read in Phase 2, not sources to quote
Phase 2 — Deep Reading (verify everything)
- For EVERY scripture you plan to quote,
view_file the actual chapter markdown from gospel-library/
- For EVERY conference talk you plan to cite,
view_file the actual talk file
- Follow the footnotes. Scripture markdown files contain superscript footnote markers and cross-references. These are insights handed to us on a silver platter — read them, follow them, use them.
- Pull real quotes from source files, never from search excerpts
The Cite Count Rule
For N citations in your output, perform at least N tool reads on actual source files.
If you cite 8 scriptures and 2 conference talks, you should have called view_file (or equivalent tool) at least 10 times on actual source files.
Citations include numbers and biographical claims, not just quotes. Each of these is a claim of fact and must trace to a tool result you got this session:
- Counts. "Thirty general conference citations." "Six talks across eight years." "Twelve scriptures use this phrase." → BYU Citation Index, gospel_search results, or your own verified count.
- Dates and chronology. "The earliest reference is 1944." "He last cited it in October 2022." "The first apostle to use this construction was…" → Verify against the actual citation list, not inference from training data.
- Biographical claims. "Featherstone's first conference talk after his call." "Maxwell wrote this six months after his cancer diagnosis." → Verify against the talk file, the speaker's biography, or a primary source.
- Comparative claims. "More than any other apostle." "The most-cited verse in this chapter." → Verify both sides of the comparison or rephrase as a non-comparative observation.
- "Only," "first," "last," "never," "always." Universal quantifiers are easy to write and hard to verify. Either prove them with a search result, or soften to "appears to be" / "I haven't found another."
If you cannot point to a tool call from this session that produced the number, the date, or the biographical claim, treat it the same as an unverified quote: rephrase as paraphrase ("appears in many talks," "in the modern conference record I checked"), or remove it.
What Counts as a Source
| ✅ Source (quote from these) | ❌ Not a Source (use as pointers only) |
|---|
view_file on a gospel-library markdown file | gospel_search excerpts |
view_file on a conference talk file | search_scriptures summaries |
view_file on a manual chapter | search_talks summaries |
| Vector search results labeled [AI SUMMARY] |
| Your own memory of a scripture's wording |
Quote Hygiene
Quotation marks mean verbatim. If you put text in quotes and attribute it, those must be the actual words from the source. No composites, no paraphrases-in-quotes, no "close enough."
Three levels of attribution:
| Level | Format | Requirement |
|---|
| Direct quote | "exact words" — Source | Must be verified verbatim against source file |
| Paraphrase | Source teaches that... / Source argues... | Indirect speech, no quotation marks, captures the idea faithfully |
| Reference | (see Source) | Points to the source without claiming specific wording |
When in doubt, paraphrase. A faithful paraphrase is honest. A near-miss direct quote is a lie that looks like truth.
The confabulation trap: Training data contains approximate versions of real texts. These feel accurate. They are close enough to pass casual inspection. But "close enough" is exactly where fabrication hides — wrong first words, missing qualifiers, phrases from adjacent verses, composite quotes from multiple passages. The only cure is reading the source file.
YouTube and transcript quotes: Download the transcript first. Read the relevant section. Copy the actual words. Assign the correct timestamp by reading the transcript timestamps, not by guessing.
Phase 3 — Writing (synthesize)
After discovery and deep reading, write the study. Weave real quotes with analysis. Follow the text where it leads.
Phase 4 — Becoming (bridge to life)
After writing the study, include a Becoming section. Every study should land somewhere personal — not just knowledge, but direction.
- What did this study reveal about how I should live?
- What specific practice or commitment does this point toward?
- Is there an existing
becoming/ document this connects to?
- What would it look like to apply this next week?
Quality Rhythm
Discovery → Reading → Writing → Becoming. Start broad (search), go deep (read full sources with footnotes), synthesize (write), then land it personally (become). Never write from search results. Never end at synthesis.
Pre-Publish Checklist
Before finalizing any document that cites sources (study, lesson, talk, evaluation, guide, doc — anything), verify:
