Verification Before Completion
Overview
Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.
Core principle: Evidence before claims, always.
Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit of this rule.
The Iron Law
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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
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BEFORE claiming any status or expressing satisfaction: 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
Common Failures
| Claim | Requires | Not Sufficient |
|---|---|---|
| Tests pass | Test command output: 0 failures | Previous run, "should pass" |
| Linter clean | Linter output: 0 errors | Partial check, extrapolation |
| Build succeeds | Build command: exit 0 | Linter passing, logs look good |
| Bug fixed | Test original symptom: passes | Code changed, assumed fixed |
| Regression test works | Red-green cycle verified | Test passes once |
| Agent completed | VCS diff shows changes | Agent reports "success" |
| Requirements met | Line-by-line checklist | Tests passing |
Red Flags - STOP
- •Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
- •Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!", etc.)
- •About to commit/push/PR without verification
- •Trusting agent success reports
- •Relying on partial verification
- •Thinking "just this once"
- •Tired and wanting work over
- •ANY wording implying success without having run verification
Rationalization Prevention
| Excuse | Reality |
|---|---|
| "Should work now" | RUN the verification |
| "I'm confident" | Confidence ≠ evidence |
| "Just this once" | No exceptions |
| "Linter passed" | Linter ≠ compiler |
| "Agent said success" | Verify independently |
| "I'm tired" | Exhaustion ≠ excuse |
| "Partial check is enough" | Partial proves nothing |
| "Different words so rule doesn't apply" | Spirit over letter |
Why This Matters
From 24 failure memories:
- •your human partner said "I don't believe you" - trust broken
- •Undefined functions shipped - would crash
- •Missing requirements shipped - incomplete features
- •Time wasted on false completion → redirect → rework
- •Violates: "Honesty is a core value. If you lie, you'll be replaced."
When To Apply
ALWAYS before:
- •ANY variation of success/completion claims
- •ANY expression of satisfaction
- •ANY positive statement about work state
- •Committing, PR creation, task completion
- •Moving to next task
- •Delegating to agents
Rule applies to:
- •Exact phrases
- •Paraphrases and synonyms
- •Implications of success
- •ANY communication suggesting completion/correctness
The Bottom Line
No shortcuts for verification.
Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.
This is non-negotiable.