Task Loop Verification

Verify the current task in the loop and output a completion marker if successful. This skill wraps task-verifier and outputs the marker that the stop hook looks for.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• You've finished implementing a task and want to verify it
• The stop hook has triggered another loop iteration
• You want to exit the task loop cleanly

Process

Step 1: Read Loop State

First, check for the pointer file and get the state path:

if [[ -f .shipspec/active-loop.local.json ]]; then
  LOOP_TYPE=$(jq -r '.loop_type // empty' .shipspec/active-loop.local.json)
  if [[ "$LOOP_TYPE" == "task-loop" ]]; then
    jq -r '.state_path // empty' .shipspec/active-loop.local.json
  else
    echo "WRONG_LOOP_TYPE"
  fi
else
  echo "NO_POINTER"
fi

If NO_POINTER or WRONG_LOOP_TYPE:

"No active task loop. Run /implement-task <feature> <task-id> to start a task." Stop here.

If state_path found: Check the state file exists:

test -f [state_path] && echo "EXISTS" || echo "NO_STATE_FILE"

If NO_STATE_FILE: Clean up stale pointer and report:

rm -f .shipspec/active-loop.local.json

"No active task loop (stale pointer cleaned up). Run /implement-task <feature> <task-id> to start a task." Stop here.

If found: Parse the JSON state file to extract:

jq -r '.feature // empty' [state_path]
jq -r '.task_id // empty' [state_path]
jq -r '.iteration // 0' [state_path]
jq -r '.max_iterations // 5' [state_path]

• feature: The feature directory name
• task_id: The task being implemented
• iteration: Current attempt number
• max_iterations: Maximum allowed attempts

Store the state_path for cleanup later.

Step 2: Load Task Prompt

The task prompt is stored in TASKS.json, not in the state file.

Read the prompt from TASKS.json:

jq -r --arg id "[task_id]" '.tasks[$id].prompt // empty' .shipspec/planning/[feature]/TASKS.json

Step 3: Run Verification

Delegate to the task-verifier agent with:

• The full task prompt (including acceptance criteria)
• The feature name
• The task ID

Step 4: Handle Result

Based on task-verifier result:

VERIFIED

All acceptance criteria passed.

1. Clean up state file:

   rm -f [state_path] .shipspec/active-loop.local.json
   

2. Update TASKS.json: Use task-manager agent with update_status operation to set status to completed

3. Log completion to .claude/shipspec-debug.log:

   $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) | [task_id] | LOOP_END | VERIFIED after [iteration] attempts
   

4. Output the completion marker: <task-loop-complete>VERIFIED</task-loop-complete>

5. Tell user: "Task [task_id] verified! All acceptance criteria passed."

INCOMPLETE

Some criteria failed. Manual intervention required.

1. Clean up state file:

   rm -f [state_path] .shipspec/active-loop.local.json
   

2. Log the failure to .claude/shipspec-debug.log:

   $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) | [task_id] | LOOP_END | INCOMPLETE | [brief failure reason]
   

3. Output the incomplete marker: <task-loop-complete>INCOMPLETE</task-loop-complete>

4. Show the user what failed:

   "## Verification Failed

   The following criteria are not met:

   • [List failed criteria]

   Please fix these issues and run /implement-task [feature] again."

BLOCKED

Cannot verify due to infrastructure issues.

1. Clean up state file:

   rm -f [state_path] .shipspec/active-loop.local.json
   

2. Log to .claude/shipspec-debug.log:

   $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) | [task_id] | LOOP_END | BLOCKED | [reason]
   

3. Output the blocked marker: <task-loop-complete>BLOCKED</task-loop-complete>

4. Tell user: "Task verification is blocked: [reason]. Manual intervention required."

Important Notes

1. Completion markers are critical - the stop hook looks for these to decide whether to allow session exit
2. All results output markers - VERIFIED, INCOMPLETE, and BLOCKED all output completion markers to exit the loop
3. INCOMPLETE requires manual fix - user must address issues and re-run /implement-task
4. BLOCKED needs investigation - tasks that can't be verified need manual attention
5. State file cleanup - always remove on any completion (VERIFIED, INCOMPLETE, or BLOCKED) to prevent stale loops
6. Prompts in TASKS.json - the task prompt is read from TASKS.json, not stored in the state file