Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always
Use when you have a written implementation plan to execute in a separate session with review checkpoints
Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work - guides completion of development work by presenting structured options for merge, PR, or cleanup
Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging to verify work meets requirements
Use when executing implementation plans with independent tasks in the current session
Use when encountering any bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior, before proposing fixes
Use when starting feature work that needs isolation from current workspace or before executing implementation plans - ensures an isolated workspace exists via native tools or git worktree fallback
| name | verification-before-completion |
| description | Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always |
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.
NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE
If you haven't run the verification command in this message, you cannot claim it passes.
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
| 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 |
| Excuse | Reality |
|---|---|
| "Should work now" | RUN the verification |
| "I'm confident" | Confidence ā evidence |
| "Just this once" | No exceptions |
| "Linter passed" | Linter ā compiler |
| "Agent said success" | Verify independently |
| "I'm tired" | Exhaustion ā excuse |
| "Partial check is enough" | Partial proves nothing |
| "Different words so rule doesn't apply" | Spirit over letter |
Tests:
ā
[Run test command] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
ā "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"
Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):
ā
Write ā Run (pass) ā Revert fix ā Run (MUST FAIL) ā Restore ā Run (pass)
ā "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)
Build:
ā
[Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
ā "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)
Requirements:
ā
Re-read plan ā Create checklist ā Verify each ā Report gaps or completion
ā "Tests pass, phase complete"
Agent delegation:
ā
Agent reports success ā Check VCS diff ā Verify changes ā Report actual state
ā Trust agent report
From 24 failure memories:
ALWAYS before:
Rule applies to:
No shortcuts for verification.
Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.
This is non-negotiable.