By name: verification-before-completion description: Requires running verification commands and confirming outputs before making claims. Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs.
Verification Before Completion
When to use this skill
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
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
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. CLAIM – Only now make the assertion
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 |
Key Patterns
Tests:
✅ [Run test command] → output shows 34/34 pass → "All tests pass"
❌ "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"
Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):
✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)
❌ "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)
Build:
✅ [Run build] → exit 0 → "Build passes"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter ≠ compiler)
Requirements:
✅ Re-read plan → checklist → verify each item → report gaps or completion
❌ "Tests pass, phase complete"
Agent delegation:
✅ Agent reports success → check VCS diff → verify changes → report actual state
❌ Trust agent report
Red Flags — Stop
- Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
- Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Done!", "Perfect!")
- About to commit/push/PR without verification
- Trusting agent success reports without independent check
- Relying on partial verification
- 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 |
| "Partial check is enough" | Partial proves nothing |
| "Different words so rule doesn't apply" | Spirit over letter |
When to Apply
Always before:
- ANY success or completion claim
- ANY expression of satisfaction
- Committing, PRs, task completion
- Moving to the next task
- Delegating to agents
The rule applies to exact phrases, paraphrases, implications, and ANY communication suggesting completion or correctness.
The Bottom Line
Run the command. Read the output. Then make the claim.
No shortcuts. Non-negotiable.