Verification Before Completion
NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE
Core Protocol
Evidence before claims, always. If you haven't run the verification command in this message, you cannot claim it passes.
BEFORE any completion claim:
1. IDENTIFY: What verification 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?
- NO → State actual status with evidence
- YES → State claim WITH evidence
5. ONLY THEN: Make the claim
Command Selection
When multiple verification options exist (mono-repo, multiple suites):
- Run the most specific command that covers the changed code
- When uncertain, run the broadest command (full test suite > single file)
- Lint ≠ build ≠ test — each verifies different claims
Evidence Format
✅ Ran: npm test
Exit: 0
Result: 47 passed, 0 failed
"All tests pass."
❌ "Tests should pass now" (no command output)
Verification Requirements by Claim Type
| Claim | Required Evidence | Insufficient |
|---|---|---|
| Tests pass | Test output: 0 failures | Previous run, "should pass" |
| Linter clean | Linter output: 0 errors | Partial check, extrapolation |
| Build succeeds | Build exit code: 0 | Linter passing |
| Bug fixed | Original symptom test passes | Code changed |
| Regression test | Red-green cycle verified | Single green |
| Agent completed | VCS diff shows changes | Agent "success" report |
| Requirements met | Line-by-line checklist | Tests passing |
Red Flags — STOP
- Words: "should", "probably", "seems to"
- Satisfaction before verification: "Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!"
- About to commit/push/PR without verification
- Trusting agent success reports
- Partial verification
- ANY wording implying success without verification output
Rationalization Prevention
| Excuse | Response |
|---|---|
| "Should work now" | Run the verification |
| "I'm confident" | Confidence ≠ evidence |
| "Just this once" | No exceptions |
| "Linter passed" | Linter ≠ build |
| "Agent said success" | Verify independently |
| "Partial check enough" | Partial proves nothing |
Key Patterns
Tests:
✅ [Run test] → [See: 34/34 pass] → "All tests pass"
❌ "Should pass now"
Regression (TDD):
✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)
❌ "Wrote regression test" (no red-green)
Requirements:
✅ Re-read plan → Checklist each item → Report gaps or completion
❌ "Tests pass, phase complete"
Agent delegation:
✅ Agent reports → Check VCS diff → Verify changes → Report actual state
❌ Trust agent report