Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency. Use when ANY variation of success/completion claims, ANY expression of satisfaction, or ANY positive statement about work state.

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 Use evidence bound to the exact current content and environment. A completed earlier run remains valid while its inputs and relevant context are unchanged; rerun invalidated checks rather than repeating expensive suites merely for a new message. The Gate Function Common Failures Claim Requires Not Sufficient Tests pass Complete check output bound to unchanged current inputs: 0 failures Stale or mismatched 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 Inspect its deliverable and relevant verification against acceptance criteria Agent reports "success" or a diff alone Requirements met Line by line checklist Tests passing Red Flags STOP 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: Regression tests (TDD Red Green): Build: Requirements: Agent delegation: 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 Use 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. When to Use This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview. Limitations Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above. Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment specific validation, testing, or expert review. Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

verification-before-completion