verify-evidence

name	verify-evidence
description	Verification checklist for AC, test evidence, stuck-loop detection, AFK review. Use when lead needs independent evidence for non-trivial changes or ambiguous results.

Load this skill when validation-lead or engineering-lead needs independent evidence. Do not load for trivial docs/config changes.

When to Use

• Non-trivial changes (behavior, security, data)
• AFK/unattended tasks
• Flaky or failing tests need confirmation
• Explicit acceptance criteria must be verified
• Deployment, auth, DB, or payment changes
• Reviewer needs independent evidence

When to Skip

• Trivial docs/config changes — inspect diff directly
• No acceptance criteria AND no high-risk/AFK/validation-lead evidence need exists
• Review is purely style/naming suggestions

Self-Improvement Pipeline Integration

Part of self-improvement pipeline (see ADR-0003: Skills Recategorization & Memory Protocol).

Before verifying, scan .scratch/evals/ for findings matching current change's target or category. Flag if CRITICAL/HIGH findings exist for same skill — verify fixes applied. Escalate to BLOCKED if same finding repeats 2+ times.

Memory protocol: After gate, store ov add-memory "[workflow:verify] <change>: <status>, <N> eval patterns checked".

Evidence Mapping

Map each acceptance criterion to a verifiable signal. Run commands, inspect output.

| Criterion | Command/Evidence | Status |
|-----------|------------------|--------|
| "form submits" | curl POST → 200, no console error | PASS |
| "no layout shift" | screenshot A vs B diff < 1% | PASS |

Statuses

Status	Meaning
VERIFIED	All criteria have PASS evidence
FAILED	Any criterion has FAIL evidence
INCONCLUSIVE	Verification could not fully run (missing tools, broken infra) or criterion lacks objective signal
BLOCKED	Human checkpoint needed or stuck loop detected

Stop Conditions

Immediately report BLOCKED:

• Destructive ops without checkpoint: DROP TABLE, DELETE FROM, rm -rf, billing commands
• Remote irreversible state: deployment to production, DNS changes, API key rotation
• Cost >$1: operation exceeds $1 in API calls without prior approval
• Secrets/security boundary: verification step would write outside allowed paths or make unauthorized network calls
• Human decision needed: acceptance criterion cannot be mapped to verifiable signal and human judgment required
• Stuck loop: same failure pattern 3+ times with no progress

Stuck-Loop Heuristic

Check for:

• Same error message appearing 3+ times in consecutive runs
• Output size not growing across retries
• No new files or file changes after M minutes
• Builder repeatedly touching same files with no resolution

Output Format

Status: VERIFIED | FAILED | INCONCLUSIVE | BLOCKED
Evidence:
- [criterion/risk] — [command/check] — [result]
Gaps:
- [missing evidence or none]
Blocked:
- [if BLOCKED: blocker + needed input]

Rules

• No fixing in verify mode. Report evidence only. Do not implement fixes, edit files, or commit.
• Report what tools say. Do not re-interpret results optimistically. Pass = clean exit + expected output.
• If verification command is unavailable, say so. Do not simulate results.
• Keep compact. Prefer evidence paths over inline dumps. Reference log files, screenshots, test outputs.
• No secrets in output. Truncate logs >200 lines; link to evidence files.