Verification Before Completion

Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing.

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 completion:

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.

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
Phase complete	All objectives verified	Tests passing
Task done	Checklist items verified	"I did everything"

Red Flags - STOP

• Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
• Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Done!")
• About to commit/push without verification
• Relying on partial verification
• ANY wording implying success without having run verification

Patterns

Tests:

OK: [Run test] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
BAD: "Should pass now"

Build:

OK: [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
BAD: "Linter passed" (linter != compiler)

Task completion:

OK: Re-read requirements -> checklist -> verify each -> report
BAD: "Tests pass, task complete"

Common Rationalizations

Excuse	Reality
"Should work now"	Run the verification
"I'm confident"	Confidence != evidence
"Just this once"	No exceptions
"Partial check is enough"	Partial proves nothing

The Bottom Line

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

No shortcuts. Non-negotiable.

When to Use

Use this skill when the task directly matches the workflow described above.

When Not to Use

Do not use this skill when the request is unrelated, low-stakes, or better handled by a simpler direct response.