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name: verification-before-completion description: Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims

Verification Before Completion

Overview

Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.

Core principle: Evidence before claims, always.

NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE.

The Gate Function

CopyBEFORE 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?
   - If NO: State actual status with evidence
   - If YES: State claim WITH evidence
5. ONLY THEN: Make the claim

Common Requirements

Red Flags - STOP

• Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
• Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!")
• About to commit/push/PR without verification
• Trusting agent success reports
• Relying on partial verification
• ANY wording implying success without having run verification

Rationalization Prevention

Key Patterns

Tests:

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

Build:

Copy✅ [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
❌ "Linter passed"

Agent delegation:

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

Why This Matters

From failure memories:

• Undefined functions shipped - would crash
• Missing requirements shipped - incomplete features
• Time wasted on false completion → redirect → rework

When To Apply

ALWAYS before:

• ANY variation of success/completion claims
• ANY expression of satisfaction
• Committing, PR creation, task completion
• Moving to next task
• Delegating to agents

No shortcuts for verification. Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim.