Verification Before Completion
Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.
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
Verification Requirements
| Claim | Command Required | Not Sufficient |
|---|---|---|
| Tests pass | Test output: 0 failures | Previous run, "should pass" |
| Linter clean | Linter output: 0 errors | Partial check, extrapolation |
| Build succeeds | Build command: exit 0 | Linter passing, "looks good" |
| Bug fixed | Test original symptom: passes | Code changed, assumed fixed |
| Types check | npm run typecheck: no errors | Tests passing |
| Requirements met | Line-by-line checklist | Tests passing |
MUST/SHOULD/NEVER Rules
MUST
- MUST: Run verification command fresh before any success claim
- MUST: Show actual output, not paraphrased results
- MUST: Include exit code or failure count
- MUST: Verify ALL requirements, not just tests
- MUST: Re-verify after any code change
SHOULD
- SHOULD: Run full test suite, not just changed tests
- SHOULD: Include typecheck and lint in verification
- SHOULD: Quote exact output when reporting results
NEVER
- NEVER: Use "should", "probably", "seems to" for verification
- NEVER: Express satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!")
- NEVER: Commit/push/PR without verification
- NEVER: Trust agent success reports without independent verification
- NEVER: Rely on partial verification
- NEVER: Claim complete based on previous run
Red Flags - STOP
If you catch yourself:
- Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
- About to say "Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!" before running commands
- About to commit without verification
- Trusting an agent's success report
- Relying on partial verification
- Thinking "just this once"
- ANY wording implying success without having run verification
STOP. Run the verification command first.
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 |
| "Different words so rule doesn't apply" | Spirit over letter |
Correct Patterns
Tests:
✅ [Run: npm test] [Output: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
❌ "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"
Build:
✅ [Run: npm run build] [Output: exit 0] "Build succeeds"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)
Requirements:
✅ Re-read requirements → Create checklist → Verify each → Report
❌ "Tests pass, therefore complete"
Agent delegation:
✅ Agent reports success → Check VCS diff → Verify changes → Report actual state
❌ Trust agent report
TDD Red-Green Verification
For regression tests:
✅ Write test → Run (PASS?) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (PASS)
❌ "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)
Integration
| Skill | Relationship |
|---|---|
tdd-workflow | TDD requires verification at each state |
debugging-methodology | Verify fix works before claiming fixed |
testing-strategy | Verification is final testing gate |