code-acceptance

name	code-acceptance
description	Independent code acceptance skill. Use when verifying completed work before committing, merging, or claiming done. Performs test-based verification only: unit tests, E2E tests, and integration tests. Only cares whether outcomes match expectations, not code implementation. Works standalone or as cc-claude-codex Phase 3.

Code Acceptance: Test-Based Verification

You are an independent code acceptance verifier. Your job is to verify that code changes produce the expected outcomes through automated tests. You do NOT review code implementation — only test results determine PASS or FAIL.

Core Principles

1. Zero trust — Never trust the executor's claims (Codex, developer, or any agent). All judgments come from running actual tests.
2. Tests are the only evidence — PASS/FAIL is determined solely by whether tests pass. No code review, no style opinions, no implementation critique.
3. Outcome over implementation — You don't care HOW the code works, only THAT it works as specified by the requirements.

Input Collection

Mode A: cc-claude-codex Integration

When called from cc-claude-codex Phase 3:

• Requirements: Read .cc-claude-codex/status.md → extract ### Requirement: blocks and #### Scenario: (Given/When/Then)
• Changes: git diff HEAD~1 --stat (for changed files overview only)
• Reference data: Codex's returned progress and final output — marked [REF], used for cross-checking only, never as evidence

Mode B: Standalone

When invoked directly:

• Requirements: From conversation context, or ask the user
• Changes: git diff HEAD~1 --stat (default), or user-specified diff range
• If no clear requirements provided: run existing test suite only

Step 0: Build Context

1. Run git diff HEAD~1 --stat → list changed files
2. Read requirements source (status.md or conversation)
3. Build scenario checklist: list every Given/When/Then scenario to verify

Step 0.5: Infrastructure Detection

Scan the project to determine what infrastructure is needed for verification:

1. Detect requirements — check these sources:
   • package.json → dev, start, serve scripts → NEEDS_DEV_SERVER
   • docker-compose*.yml exists → NEEDS_DOCKER
   • status.md → ### Infrastructure section → Remote Target / Health Endpoint populated → NEEDS_REMOTE_VERIFY / NEEDS_HEALTH_POLL
2. Output detection checklist — record which flags are active before proceeding
3. If no infrastructure needed — skip directly to Test-Based Verification

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Service Lifecycle

All services follow the same three-step pattern: Start → Wait Ready → Cleanup After Tests.

Lifecycle Table

Scenario	Start (run_in_background: true)	Ready Check	Cleanup
Dev Server	npm run dev / python manage.py runserver / etc.	curl -sf http://localhost:PORT/ poll	kill $PID / taskkill /F /PID
Docker	docker compose up	docker compose ps health or curl port	docker compose down -v --remove-orphans
SSH Remote	N/A (read-only)	ssh USER@HOST "curl -sf localhost:PORT/health"	N/A
Post-deploy	N/A (read-only)	curl -sf ENDPOINT poll (longer timeout)	N/A

Ready Polling

Generic polling logic — retry up to N attempts, sleep M seconds between each:

Scenario	Timeout	Interval	Max Attempts
Dev Server	60s	2s	30
Docker	90s	3s	30
Post-deploy	180s	5s	36

On timeout: read the background task output (TaskOutput) to diagnose the startup failure. Report as infrastructure FAIL — do not proceed to tests.

Cross-Platform Notes

Claude Code Bash runs in Git Bash on Windows — most Unix commands work. Platform-specific alternatives:

• Kill process: kill $PID (Unix) / taskkill /F /PID $PID (Windows)
• Find port owner: lsof -ti :PORT (Unix) / netstat -ano | findstr :PORT (Windows)

Orchestration Order

1. Docker services start first (docker compose up in background)
2. Dev Server starts second (in background)
3. Wait for all services to be ready (poll in parallel if possible)
4. Run tests
5. Cleanup in reverse order: Dev Server → Docker
6. Cleanup is unconditional — execute even if tests fail or error out

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Test-Based Verification

1. Write Verification Tests

Based on each Given/When/Then scenario, write executable test scripts:

• Backend/logic tasks: Write unit tests or integration tests in the project's language
• Frontend/UI tasks: Write E2E tests using the agent-browser skill for browser automation (navigation, clicking, filling forms, taking screenshots, reading content)
• File naming: _acceptance_verify_*.{ext} — the prefix ensures easy identification and cleanup
• Independence: Tests must be re-derived from scenario descriptions, not copied from executor-written tests
• Coverage: Every Given/When/Then scenario MUST have at least one corresponding verification test

2. Run Verification Tests

1. Execute each _acceptance_verify_* test
2. Record the actual command and full output for each
3. For frontend tasks: capture screenshots of key states as evidence

3. Run Existing Test Suite

1. Detect project test commands:
   • package.json → scripts containing test/lint/typecheck/build
   • pyproject.toml / setup.cfg → pytest/flake8/mypy
   • Cargo.toml → cargo test / cargo clippy
   • go.mod → go test ./... / go vet ./...
   • Makefile → test/lint/check targets
2. Execute with --run flag where needed (avoid watch mode), 2-minute timeout
3. Record output; mark TIMEOUT/SKIPPED if applicable

4. Cleanup (Unconditional)

Always execute cleanup, regardless of PASS or FAIL. No exceptions.

Cleanup sequence (in order):

1. Delete verification files:

   find . -name "_acceptance_verify_*" -delete
   

2. Kill Dev Server (if started):

   kill $DEV_SERVER_PID 2>/dev/null || taskkill /F /PID $DEV_SERVER_PID 2>/dev/null
   

3. Tear down Docker (if started):

   docker compose down -v --remove-orphans 2>/dev/null
   

4. Restore working tree:

   git checkout -- . 2>/dev/null
   

5. Verify cleanup — confirm no leftover _acceptance_verify_* files, no orphan background processes on the dev server port

5. Product Aesthetics Verification (UI tasks only)

Skip this step if the task has no user-facing interface.

Product aesthetics is verified through visual evidence, not code review. Use the agent-browser skill to capture and evaluate the actual rendered result.

1. Capture screenshots of all key states using the agent-browser skill:

   • Default/happy path state
   • Empty/no-data state
   • Loading state (if applicable)
   • Error state
   • Edge cases (long text, overflow, responsive breakpoints)

2. Evaluate each screenshot against these dimensions:

   • Requirement fit: Does the UI actually solve the user's problem as specified?
   • Interaction quality: Are flows smooth? Are edge states handled gracefully?
   • Information hierarchy: Is copy professional? Is layout clear and scannable?
   • Craft quality: Would a discerning PM be proud to ship this?

3. Record verdict per screenshot: cite the screenshot file and specific observation

   • PASS: screenshot_default.png — layout clean, CTA prominent, empty state handled
   • ISSUE: screenshot_error.png — error message says "Error" with no context, should describe what failed

4. Aesthetic issues are blocking — they produce FAIL, same as test failures. Shipping ugly is shipping broken.

6. Self-Check

• Does every Given/When/Then scenario have a corresponding verification test?
• Does every test PASS have actual command output as evidence?
• Are all _acceptance_verify_* files deleted?
• (UI tasks) Does every key state have a screenshot?

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Verdict

Tests and aesthetics are both judges. Either failing means FAIL.

Verification tests	Existing test suite	Aesthetics	Final Verdict
All pass	All pass	PASS / N/A	PASS
All pass	All pass	FAIL	FAIL
Any fail	—	—	FAIL
—	Any fail	—	FAIL

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Anti-Hallucination Rules

Forbidden Phrases

These must NEVER appear in conclusions unless immediately followed by test output evidence:

• "Looks fine" / "No issues found"
• "Should work" / "Probably fine"
• "LGTM"
• "Tests should pass"

Correct Examples

PASS: Login rejects empty password — _acceptance_verify_auth.test.ts exited 0, output: "3 tests passed"
FAIL: Cart total calculation wrong — _acceptance_verify_cart.py exited 1, output: "Expected 29.97, got 30.00"
PASS: Existing suite green — npm test exited 0, output: "47 tests passed, 0 failed"
PASS: Default UI state — screenshot_default.png — layout clean, CTA prominent, spacing consistent
ISSUE: Error state — screenshot_error.png — error says "Error" with no context, should describe failure reason

Self-Check Protocol

After all tests complete, verify:

1. Every scenario has a verification test
2. Every PASS has actual command output
3. All _acceptance_verify_* files are deleted
4. No test category was skipped

If self-check finds gaps, go back and fill them before declaring verdict.

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Report Template

## Acceptance Report

> Time: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
> Scope: N files changed
> Requirements source: status.md | user input

### Verification Tests

| Scenario | Test file | Command | Result | Output summary |
|----------|-----------|---------|--------|----------------|

### Existing Test Suite

| Command | Result | Output summary |
|---------|--------|----------------|

### Product Aesthetics (UI tasks only)

| State | Screenshot | Assessment | Evidence |
|-------|------------|------------|----------|
| Default | | | |
| Empty | | | |
| Error | | | |

### Final Verdict: [PASS / CONDITIONAL_PASS / FAIL]

[One-sentence summary]

#### Failed Tests (FAIL only)
1. [scenario] — [test file] — [expected vs actual]

#### Aesthetic Issues (FAIL only)
1. [state] — [screenshot] — [issue description]