| name | verification-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. Evidence before assertions, always. |
Verification Before Completion
Overview
Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.
Core principle: Evidence before claims, always.
Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit of this rule.
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 Function
BEFORE claiming any status or expressing satisfaction:
1. IDENTIFY: What command proves this claim?
2. RUN: Execute the FULL command (fresh, complete)
3. READ: Full output, check exit code, count failures
4. VERIFY: Does output confirm the claim?
- If NO: State actual status with evidence
- If YES: State claim WITH evidence
5. 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" |
| Linter clean | Linter output: 0 errors | Partial check, extrapolation |
| Build succeeds | Build command: exit 0 | Linter passing, logs look good |
| Bug fixed | Test original symptom: passes | Code changed, assumed fixed |
| Regression test works | Red-green cycle verified | Test passes once |
| Agent completed | VCS diff shows changes | Agent reports "success" |
| Requirements met | Line-by-line checklist | Tests passing |
Red Flags — STOP
- Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
- Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!")
- About to commit/push/PR without verification
- Trusting agent success reports
- Relying on partial verification
- Thinking "just this once"
- ANY wording implying success without having run verification
Rationalization Prevention
| Excuse | Reality |
|---|
| "Should work now" | RUN the verification |
| "I'm confident" | Confidence != evidence |
| "Just this once" | No exceptions |
| "Linter passed" | Linter != compiler |
| "Agent said success" | Verify independently |
| "Partial check is enough" | Partial proves nothing |
Key Patterns
Tests:
[Run test command] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
NOT: "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"
Build:
[Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
NOT: "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)
Requirements:
Re-read plan -> Create checklist -> Verify each -> Report gaps or completion
NOT: "Tests pass, phase complete"
Agent delegation:
Agent reports success -> Check VCS diff -> Verify changes -> Report actual state
NOT: Trust agent report
Why This Matters
From real debugging sessions:
- Trust broken when claiming complete without verification
- Undefined functions shipped — would crash
- Missing requirements shipped — incomplete features
- Time wasted on false completion -> redirect -> rework
When To Apply
ALWAYS before:
- ANY variation of success/completion claims
- ANY expression of satisfaction
- Committing, PR creation, task completion
- Moving to next task
- Delegating to agents
The Bottom Line
No shortcuts for verification.
Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.
This is non-negotiable.
