Verify Skill

When to Use

Use this skill after execution to validate that changes work correctly and meet acceptance criteria.

Triggers:

• •Execution phase is complete.
• •You have been handed off from the Execute skill.

Never skip verification. Even trivial changes should have at least basic checks.

How to Do It

Step 0: Check Repository Guidelines

Before running generic commands, check for project-specific instructions:

1. •Plan metadata.notes - Use testing/linting commands specified here
2. •Project guideline files - Check for files like CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, COPILOT.md, or similar at the repo root. Follow their validation steps (e.g., npm run fix, npm run validate)
3. •CONTRIBUTING.md - Check for any validation requirements

Use project-specific commands instead of generic ones when available.

Step 1: Run the Test Suite

Execute the project's tests:

# Common test commands
npm test
pytest
go test ./...
cargo test

Step 2: Run Formatting and Linting

If the project has formatting/linting configured:

1. •Run formatters first (e.g., npm run fix, prettier --write)
2. •Then run linters (e.g., npm run lint, eslint .)

Check project guideline files and plan notes for the exact commands.

Step 2.5: Update CHANGELOG (if required)

If project guideline files require CHANGELOG updates:

1. •Check if changes touch user-facing code (lib/, bin/, etc.)
2. •If yes, add an entry under [Unreleased] with appropriate category
3. •Use the correct category: Added, Changed, Fixed, Removed, Deprecated, Security

Step 3: Check Acceptance Criteria

For each completed step, verify its criteria field from the plan. Ask yourself: Does the implementation actually satisfy this?

Step 4: Decision & Handoff

Case A: Verification FAILED If tests fail, linting errors occur, or criteria are not met:

1. •Analyze the error.
2. •Return to Execute: Invoke the orrery-execute skill using the Skill tool to fix the issues.
3. •Do not proceed to Report until issues are resolved (unless completely blocked).

Case B: Verification PASSED If all checks pass:

1. •Gather Stats: Note the number of tests passed (e.g., "8/8 passed").
2. •Handoff to Report: Invoke the orrery-report skill using the Skill tool to finalize the step.

Example

Scenario: You implemented src/api/routes/upload.ts.

1. •

   Run tests: npm test -> FAIL (ReferenceError).

   • •Action: Invoke the orrery-execute skill using the Skill tool to fix the ReferenceError.
2. •

   Run tests (Attempt 2): npm test -> PASS (5 tests passed).

3. •

   Run lint: npm run lint -> PASS.

4. •

   Action: Invoke the orrery-report skill using the Skill tool.

Common Pitfalls

• •Ignoring failures: Passing a failed test suite to the Report skill.
• •Skipping regression checks: Not running the full suite to ensure old code still works.
• •Infinite Loops: If you keep bouncing between Execute and Verify without progress, stop and invoke the orrery-report skill using the Skill tool with a "Blocked" status.