Output Quality Check

Independently answer: did the originating skill produce an output that meets the quality standard declared by that skill? The originating skill owns the domain standard. This skill reads and applies it without adding a universal PMM rubric.

Scope boundary

• Verify output quality against the originating skill's explicit requirements.
• Do not decide whether an asset matches company messaging. That belongs to messaging-consistency-audit and the canonical SSOT.
• Do not audit whether a SKILL.md is well structured. Use repository validation or the applicable skill-spec review process.
• Do not silently edit the artifact. Report corrections and route them back to the originating skill.

An artifact can pass both reviews, fail either one, or fail both. Keep their findings and statuses separate. For a market-facing asset, the useful flow is originating skill → artifact → output-quality-check → messaging-consistency-audit → approval or remediation. The messaging audit is not required for internal artifacts where it is irrelevant.

Inputs and standard discovery

Accept the artifact and its claimed originating skill or infer the skill from artifact metadata, format, or user context. If origin remains ambiguous, ask which skill produced it. If the artifact is absent, request it. Never verify a summary in place of the complete artifact when the full version is available.

Read the originating skill's current SKILL.md before evaluating the artifact. Extract all explicit, applicable criteria from its declared:

• required output and sections;
• process or workflow requirements that leave observable evidence in the output;
• output rules and format constraints;
• quality gates, verification criteria, and checklists;
• evidence, traceability, safety, and approval requirements.

Use only requirements actually stated by that skill or by a shared reference it explicitly requires. Follow referenced shared standards, such as ../_shared/evidence-gaps.md, when applicable. Do not import criteria from a neighboring skill, this verifier's preferences, or generic notions of good PMM work. If the skill declares no explicit verifiable criteria, report that limitation and mark the affected check UNVERIFIABLE. Do not invent a rubric.

Read the entire artifact. Evaluate each requirement independently and cite the artifact location or quote that supports the finding. A claim that a step was completed is not evidence when the required source or artifact is unavailable.

For audience-dependent work, apply the persona-consumption requirements in ../_shared/ssot-consumption.md when required by the originating skill. Inspect whether relevant intelligence supports the material choices in the output and preserves source access, evidence status and uncertainty. Existing rationale or annotations suffice; no separate audience table or exhaustive attributes are required. Shared treatment may be valid when evidence supports shared needs. Non-audience tasks are exempt. Missing nonessential metadata is not a failure; unavailable essential evidence is UNVERIFIABLE. Do not invent persona differences or certify unsupported application. Route failures to the originating owner; message-to-canon alignment remains a separate messaging review.

Finding statuses

Assign each applicable requirement exactly one result:

Overall status is PASS only when every applicable criterion is PASS or NOT_APPLICABLE and none is UNVERIFIABLE. Otherwise use NEEDS_CORRECTION. Report UNVERIFIABLE separately from actual FAIL findings. Do not imply that absence of evidence proves the underlying claim false.

Verification workflow

1. Identify the artifact, claimed/inferred originating skill, and artifact version. Record the verification date when available.
2. Load that skill's current SKILL.md and any shared references it explicitly requires for the artifact. Record the standard's source and version/status.
3. Extract the complete set of explicit applicable requirements. Preserve conditional branches. Do not add requirements.
4. Read the artifact in full and check each requirement. Record evidence with locations. Mark unsupported claims UNVERIFIABLE when verification depends on unavailable inputs or sources.
5. Assign stable finding IDs for FAIL or UNVERIFIABLE results, such as MV-[skill]-001. Preserve IDs on re-verification when the same requirement remains unresolved. Close only after inspecting the corrected artifact.
6. Route every failure to the originating skill for correction. If the originating skill cannot satisfy its own requirement because canonical context appears outdated or contradictory, route the evidence through ssot-context-loop and its human approval gates. Never change canon.
7. For market-facing messaging alignment, separately route the artifact to messaging-consistency-audit where relevant. Do not combine its outcome with this verification status.

Required output

Output quality verification: [artifact]

• Originating skill: [skill]
• Overall status: PASS or NEEDS_CORRECTION
• Standard inspected: [SKILL.md path/version or available revision]

Include all applicable requirements, including passing checks. Cite section headings or line/page/slide/email locations when available. Use NOT_APPLICABLE only when allowed and explained. Use UNVERIFIABLE when the artifact claims compliance but evidence/input cannot be inspected.

Required corrections

List only actual FAIL findings, prioritized by impact. For each include finding ID, violated requirement, artifact location, why it fails, required correction, and route to the originating skill. List UNVERIFIABLE items separately with the missing source or input needed. Do not frame them as proven errors.

If no corrections are needed, say so. Re-verification inspects the revised artifact and updates each existing ID to PASS, NOT_APPLICABLE, FAIL, or UNVERIFIABLE. Do not close an item based only on a correction description.

Safety and boundaries

• Verification is read-only. Do not rewrite, patch, or approve the artifact.
• Do not inspect or compare canon to decide messaging consistency. If the originating skill requires canon use as part of its own deliverable, verify only that the artifact records the required inputs and follows its declared process; route actual message-to-canon claims to the messaging auditor.
• Do not treat output-quality-check as a check of skill specification structure.
• Repeated failures that expose a gap in a skill's own requirements can be reported as a proposed skill improvement, routed to that skill's owner. Do not amend skill standards during artifact verification.

Related skills

• messaging-consistency-audit: vertical SSOT and horizontal messaging checks.
• ssot-context-loop: governed canonical context and approval workflow.
• events: event strategy and downstream asset orchestration.