---

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. Evidence before assertions, always." version: 1.0.0

Verification Before Completion

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

The Iron Law

CopyNO 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

CopyBEFORE 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

Verification Requirements

MUST/SHOULD/NEVER Rules

MUST

• MUST: Run verification command fresh before any success claim
• MUST: Show actual output, not paraphrased results
• MUST: Include exit code or failure count
• MUST: Verify ALL requirements, not just tests
• MUST: Re-verify after any code change

SHOULD

• SHOULD: Run full test suite, not just changed tests
• SHOULD: Include typecheck and lint in verification
• SHOULD: Quote exact output when reporting results

NEVER

• NEVER: Use "should", "probably", "seems to" for verification
• NEVER: Express satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!")
• NEVER: Commit/push/PR without verification
• NEVER: Trust agent success reports without independent verification
• NEVER: Rely on partial verification
• NEVER: Claim complete based on previous run

Red Flags - STOP

If you catch yourself:

• Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
• About to say "Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!" before running commands
• About to commit without verification
• Trusting an agent's success report
• Relying on partial verification
• Thinking "just this once"
• ANY wording implying success without having run verification

STOP. Run the verification command first.

Rationalization Prevention

Correct Patterns

Tests:

Copy✅ [Run: npm test] [Output: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
❌ "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"

Build:

Copy✅ [Run: npm run build] [Output: exit 0] "Build succeeds"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)

Requirements:

Copy✅ Re-read requirements → Create checklist → Verify each → Report
❌ "Tests pass, therefore complete"

Agent delegation:

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

TDD Red-Green Verification

For regression tests:

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

Integration