Anti-Deception Verification Checklist

Use this checklist after code changes to detect "fake success." Even if the build turns green, it may be hiding problems rather than solving them.

Sensitive-Data Handling Contract

This skill detects possible exposure; it never needs the secret value. Do not read credential files or .env content to validate a finding. Detection output must contain only a file path and rule class, never the matching line, token, password, private key, PII, or surrounding context. Test fixtures must be obviously non-live and must not match a provider-valid credential format.

If a real secret may have entered Git history or CI output:

1. stop the gate and avoid reproducing the value in an issue, PR, prompt, or log;
2. identify the provider and owner from metadata, not by printing the secret;
3. revoke or rotate it first;
4. coordinate history and cache cleanup separately; deleting the current line is not remediation.

PII and user content are not secret-scanning test material. Minimize them, retain them only in their approved private store, and report an opaque ID or redacted aggregate.

Check 1: Test Deletion/Disabling Detection

# Deleted test files
git diff --name-status HEAD~1 | grep "^D.*test_"

# Newly added @pytest.mark.skip / skipIf
git diff HEAD~1 -- "*.py" | grep -E "^\+.*@pytest\.mark\.(skip|skipIf|xfail)"

# Test exclusion patterns (pyproject.toml)
git diff HEAD~1 -- pyproject.toml | grep -E "^\+.*(ignore|exclude|deselect)"

Verdict: Test deletion/disabling without legitimate justification = FAIL

Check 2: Lint/Type Check Bypass Detection

# type: ignore overuse
git diff HEAD~1 -- "*.py" | grep -E "^\+.*# type: ignore"

# noqa overuse
git diff HEAD~1 -- "*.py" | grep -E "^\+.*# noqa"

# Rule disabling in ruff/mypy config
git diff HEAD~1 -- pyproject.toml | grep -E "^\+.*(ignore|exclude|per-file-ignores)"

Verdict: 3+ new type: ignore additions = WARNING, rule disabling = FAIL

Check 3: Coverage Regression Detection

# Coverage threshold lowered in config
git diff HEAD~1 -- pyproject.toml | grep -E "^\+.*(fail_under|min_coverage)"

# Run the selected non-live suite without hiding its exit status.
uv run pytest tests/ -m "not live" -q

Use the coverage command in .github/workflows/ci.yml and the threshold in pyproject.toml (tool.coverage.report.fail_under); plain pytest output does not measure coverage. A failing coverage gate or an unjustified threshold, omit, or test exclusion change is FAIL. Compare coverage on the same scope and review regressions even when the configured threshold still passes.

Check 4: Secret Exposure Detection

# Candidate files only; -l reports paths without echoing matched content.
git grep -IlE '(sk-ant-|sk-proj-|sk-[[:alnum:]_-]{20,}|Bearer[[:space:]]+[[:alnum:]_.-]{20,})' -- ':(glob)**/*.py' || true
git grep -IlE 'token[^=]*=[[:space:]]*[^[:space:]]{20,}' -- ':(glob)**/*.py' || true

# .env file committed
git diff --name-status HEAD~1 | grep -E "^A.*\.env$"

Verdict: candidate path = FAIL until an authorized local review classifies it as revoked/test-only/false-positive without copying the value into output.

Check 5: Dependency Downgrade Detection

# Version changes in pyproject.toml
git diff HEAD~1 -- pyproject.toml | grep -E "^\+.*(version|requires-python)"

# Package version downgrade via uv.lock changes
git diff HEAD~1 -- uv.lock | grep -E "^-.*version" | head -10

Verdict: Dependency downgrade without explicit justification = WARNING

GEODE-Specific Checks

Item	Current authority	Review requirement
Tests	uv run pytest tests/ -m "not live" and uv run pytest tests/ --collect-only	Explain removed cases and identify surviving behavior checks; a count decrease alone is not a regression verdict
CLI surface	uv run geode version plus targeted command tests	Preserve the current CLI contract; the retired geode analyze domain fixture is not a runtime gate
Tool/module inventory	uv run python scripts/architecture_baseline.py --check	Review inventory and parity changes; do not regenerate the baseline merely to hide drift
Prompt ratchet	verify_prompt_integrity(raise_on_drift=True) in core.llm.prompts	Preserve pinned prompt hashes or update them with the reviewed prompt change

Use verification gates for executable checks and the deletion gate before removing code or tests. Inventory counts and source scans discover candidates; they do not establish behavior, authorize deletion, or replace CI.