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	pnpm lint:fix output: 0 errors	Partial check, extrapolation
Format clean	pnpm format output: no changes	Visual inspection, assumption
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
Code quality gates	pnpm lint:fix + pnpm format passed	Tests passing

Red Flags - STOP

• Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
• Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!", etc.)
• About to commit/push/PR without verification
• Trusting agent success reports
• Relying on partial verification
• Thinking "just this once"
• Tired and wanting work over
• ANY wording implying success without having run verification

Rationalization Prevention

Excuse	Reality
"Should work now"	RUN the verification
"I'm confident"	Confidence does not equal evidence
"Just this once"	No exceptions
"Linter passed"	Linter does not equal compiler
"Agent said success"	Verify independently
"I'm tired"	Exhaustion does not equal excuse
"Partial check is enough"	Partial proves nothing
"Different words so rule doesn't apply"	Spirit over letter

Key Patterns

Tests:

CORRECT: [Run test command] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
WRONG: "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"

Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):

CORRECT: Write -> Run (pass) -> Revert fix -> Run (MUST FAIL) -> Restore -> Run (pass)
WRONG: "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)

Build:

CORRECT: [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
WRONG: "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)

Lint and Format (BLOCKING GATE):

CORRECT: [Run pnpm lint:fix] [See: 0 errors] [Run pnpm format] [See: no changes] "Lint and format clean"
WRONG: "Code looks formatted" / "No obvious lint issues" / "Should be clean"

Requirements:

CORRECT: Re-read plan -> Create checklist -> Verify each -> Report gaps or completion
WRONG: "Tests pass, phase complete"

Agent delegation:

CORRECT: Agent reports success -> Check VCS diff -> Verify changes -> Report actual state
WRONG: Trust agent report

Why This Matters

From failure analysis:

• "I don't believe you" - trust broken
• Undefined functions shipped - would crash
• Missing requirements shipped - incomplete features
• Time wasted on false completion -> redirect -> rework
• Violates: "Honesty is a core value. If you lie, you'll be replaced."

When To Apply

ALWAYS before:

• ANY variation of success/completion claims
• ANY expression of satisfaction
• ANY positive statement about work state
• Committing, PR creation, task completion
• Moving to next task
• Delegating to agents

Rule applies to:

• Exact phrases
• Paraphrases and synonyms
• Implications of success
• ANY communication suggesting completion/correctness

The Bottom Line

No shortcuts for verification.

Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.

This is non-negotiable.

Iron Laws

1. NEVER claim task completion without running fresh verification commands in the current session
2. ALWAYS read the full command output before asserting a result — not just the last line or exit code
3. NEVER use hedging language ("should pass", "probably works") as a substitute for running verification
4. ALWAYS apply the red-green-refactor cycle: verify test fails, fix passes, revert fails again
5. NEVER commit, push, or close a task without verified evidence that all gates (tests, lint, format) pass

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Claiming success before running commands	No evidence the claim is true	Run the command, read full output, then claim
Trusting results from a prior run	State may have changed since last execution	Always run fresh verification in the current session
Partial verification (tests but not lint)	Lint failures fail CI even when tests pass	Run all gates: tests, pnpm lint:fix, pnpm format
Using "should" or "probably" language	Implies assumption, not verification	Eliminate hedging; verify then state the fact
Skipping red-green-refactor cycle	Regression tests that always pass catch nothing	Verify test fails on revert before marking complete

Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)

Before starting: Read .claude/context/memory/learnings.md

After completing:

• New pattern -> .claude/context/memory/learnings.md
• Issue found -> .claude/context/memory/issues.md
• Decision made -> .claude/context/memory/decisions.md

ASSUME INTERRUPTION: If it's not in memory, it didn't happen.