verifying skill

Verification Before Completion

Evidence before claims, always.

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:

1. IDENTIFY: What command proves this claim?
2. RUN: Execute the FULL command (fresh, complete)
3. READ: Full output, check exit code
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

What Requires Verification

Claim	Requires	Not Sufficient
"Tests pass"	Test command output: 0 failures	Previous run, "should pass"
"Linter clean"	Linter output: 0 errors	Partial check
"Build succeeds"	Build command: exit 0	Linter passing
"Bug fixed"	Test original symptom: passes	Code changed
"Feature complete"	Requirements checklist verified	Tests passing

Red Flags - STOP

If you catch yourself:

• Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
• About to say "Done!" before verification
• About to commit/push/PR without running tests
• Relying on partial verification
• Thinking "just this once"

STOP. Run the verification command.

Common Rationalizations

Excuse	Reality
"Should work now"	RUN the verification
"I'm confident"	Confidence ≠ evidence
"Just this once"	No exceptions
"Linter passed"	Linter ≠ tests
"I'm tired"	Exhaustion ≠ excuse
"Partial check is enough"	Partial proves nothing

Correct Patterns

Tests:

Run test command → See: 34/34 pass → "All tests pass"

NOT: "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"

Build:

Run build → See: exit 0 → "Build passes"

NOT: "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)

Bug fix:

Reproduce bug → Apply fix → Test → Bug no longer occurs → "Fixed"

NOT: "Changed the code, should be fixed"

Requirements:

Re-read requirements → Check each → Report gaps or completion

NOT: "Tests pass, must be done"

Verification Commands

# JavaScript/TypeScript
npm test                    # Run all tests
npm run build              # Verify build
npm run lint               # Check linting

# Python
pytest                     # Run all tests
python -m mypy .          # Type checking
python -m build           # Verify build

# Go
go test ./...             # Run all tests
go build ./...            # Verify build

# General
echo $?                   # Check last exit code (0 = success)

When to Apply

ALWAYS before:

• Saying work is complete
• Committing code
• Creating pull requests
• Moving to next task
• Claiming a bug is fixed
• Reporting feature is done

The Bottom Line

No shortcuts for verification.

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

This is non-negotiable.