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.**
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
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. 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
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:
✅ [Run test command] [See: 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] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)
`**Requirements:**`
✅ Re-read plan → Create checklist → Verify each → Report gaps or completion
❌ "Tests pass, phase complete"
`**Agent delegation:**`
✅ 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.