Verification Before Completion

Name: verification
Rating: 92
Author: jevon

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

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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, count failures
4. VERIFY: Does output confirm the claim?
   - NO → State actual status with evidence
   - 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, assumed fixed
Requirements met	Line-by-line checklist verified	"Tests passing"

Red Flags — STOP

If you catch yourself:

•Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
•Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Done!")
•About to commit/push without verification
•Relying on a previous run
•Thinking "just this once"

ALL of these mean: Run the verification command NOW.

Common Rationalizations

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

Key Patterns

Tests:

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✅ [Run test command] → [See: 34/34 pass] → "All tests pass"
❌ "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"

Build:

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✅ [Run build] → [See: exit 0] → "Build passes"
❌ "Linter passed so build should be fine"

Requirements:

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✅ Re-read plan → Create checklist → Verify each item → Report gaps or completion
❌ "Tests pass, task complete"

The Bottom Line

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

This is non-negotiable.