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
Code formatted	Formatter run on files	"Looks formatted"
Security checked	No API keys/secrets in code	"I was careful"

Code Quality Verification

Before claiming "code is ready" or "quality checks pass", verify these:

Mandatory Code Checking Tools by Language

Language	Required Tools	Verify Command
Bash/Shell	shellcheck	`shellcheck script.sh` (exit 0)
Python	ruff (or pylint)	`ruff check .` (0 errors)
JavaScript/TypeScript	eslint	`eslint src/` (0 errors)
Go	go vet	`go vet ./...` (exit 0)
Rust	clippy	`cargo clippy` (0 errors)
Emacs Lisp	byte-compile	`emacs --batch -f batch-byte-compile file.el` (0 warnings)

Install check: If tool missing, install before verifying. "Tool not found" ≠ "checks pass".

Code Formatting Rules

File Type	Rule	Verification
NEW files	Use formatter (black, prettier, gofmt)	Run formatter, verify output
MODIFIED files	Format ONLY changed lines	Preserve untouched areas, format edits only
Consistency	Match existing style if no formatter	Check surrounding code patterns

Priority order for style consistency:

•Formatter config in project (if exists)
•Existing code patterns in same file
•Existing code patterns in project
•Language standard conventions

Security Checklist

Before claiming "secure" or "ready to commit":

Check	Requirement	Verification
API Keys	Not in code	Grep for patterns: `grep -r "api[_-]key" src/` (0 matches)
.env files	In .gitignore	`git check-ignore .env` (returns yes)
Sensitive logs	No passwords/tokens logged	Review log statements
Input validation	Validated before use	Check data entry points
Dependencies	No known vulnerabilities	Run `npm audit` / `pip-audit` (0 high/critical)

Performance Verification

Only verify when performance is a requirement:

Claim	Requires	Tool
"Performs well"	Profiling data showing acceptable metrics	time, perf, profiler
"No memory leaks"	Memory usage stable over time	valgrind, heap profiler
"Optimized"	Before/after benchmarks	benchmark suite

Don't claim performance without measurements.

Common Failures

•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

Key Patterns

Tests:

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

Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):

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✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)
❌ "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)

Build:

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✅ [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)

Requirements:

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

Agent delegation:

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✅ Agent reports success → Check VCS diff → Verify changes → Report actual state
❌ Trust agent report

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.