self-verify

name	self-verify
description	Run the project's own build/test/lint and converge before handing work to a reviewer. Requires explicit baseline → after evidence — the suite must be shown to change state, not just be "green at the end".
triggers	["before requesting review","before opening a PR"]
allowed-tools	Bash Read Grep Glob
argument-hint	[--max-iterations N]

self-verify (principle 5)

After producing changes, verify your own work before handoff. Do not invoke the reviewer until this loop converges.

Steps (do them in order; do not skip)

1. Baseline. Run the install/build/test/lint commands from AGENTS.md's commands block once before you make any edit related to the failing symptom. Capture the result:

   • For a fix scenario: confirm the suite is RED in the expected way (the target test fails).
   • For a feature scenario: confirm the suite is GREEN (so you know your changes are what break it if it goes red later).
   • Surface this baseline in your transcript — e.g. "baseline: npm test → 1 fail (divide-by-zero)".

2. Iterate. Make the change; re-run the commands. Cap at N=3 iterations.

3. After. Re-run the full suite at the end and surface the new state explicitly — e.g. "after fix: npm test → 0 fails, all 4 tests pass". The transition from baseline → after is the evidence that your work did what you claim. Reporting only "tests pass" without the baseline is half a self-verification.

4. Self-park if still red. Leave a precise note (what failed, what you tried) and move the task to parked. Never hand a red build to a reviewer.

Handoff checklist (run BEFORE you declare done)

• Baseline output captured + surfaced in transcript
• After output captured + surfaced in transcript
• Diff is on-target (no unrelated churn — check git diff --stat)
• Did you hit any non-obvious behavior or surprise? → run the log-gotcha skill before handing off. This includes silently-passing-yet-wrong APIs, JS-floating-point quirks, framework defaults that bit you, environment surprises, etc. Wiki entries are how the next agent avoids repeating your discovery.

Notes

• Pin verification to your own HEAD; do not trust stale CI from an earlier commit.
• If the build is too expensive to run a full baseline (10+ min), at minimum run the smallest set of tests that demonstrates the symptom before AND after your fix.