Verification Before Completion

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 — run before ANY completion claim

1. IDENTIFY — what command proves the 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.

Skip any step = lying, not verifying.

Common failures — what proves each claim

Key patterns (evidence templates)

Tests:

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

Regression (TDD Red-Green):

✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)
❌ "I've written a regression test" (no red-green)

Build:

✅ [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter ≠ compiler)

Requirements:

✅ Re-read plan → Checklist → Verify each → Report gaps or completion
❌ "Tests pass, phase complete"

Agent delegation:

✅ Agent reports → Check VCS diff → Verify changes → Report actual state
❌ Trust agent report

Red flags — STOP if you catch yourself

• Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
• Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!")
• About to commit/push/PR without verification
• Trusting agent success reports
• Relying on partial verification
• "Just this once" / "I'm tired" / "Confidence ≠ evidence"

When to apply

ALWAYS before:

• ANY success/completion claim
• ANY expression of satisfaction
• Committing, PR creation, task completion
• Moving to next task
• Delegating to agents

Rule applies to exact phrases, paraphrases, synonyms, implications of success.