verification-before-completion

Overview

Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonest, not efficient.

Core principle: evidence first, always.

Violating the literal wording of this rule is equivalent to violating its spirit.

Iron rule

No completion claims without fresh verification evidence.

If you did not run verification commands in this message, you cannot claim it passed.

Gatekeeping mechanism

Before making any status claim or expressing satisfaction:

1. Identify: which command proves the claim?
2. Execute: run the full command (fresh, complete)
3. Read: review full output, check exit code, count failures
4. Verify: does the output confirm the claim?
   - If no: state the actual status and provide evidence
   - If yes: confirm the claim and attach evidence
5. Only then: make the claim

Skipping any step = lying, not verifying

Common mistakes

Red alert - stop!

• Using "should", "maybe", "looks like"
• Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!", etc.)
• Preparing to commit/push/create PR without verification
• Trusting an agent's success report
• Relying on partial verification
• Thinking "just this once"
• Tired and wanting to quit
• Any wording that implies success without running verification

Prevent rationalization

Key patterns

Tests:

OK [run test command] [see: 34/34 passed] "All tests pass"
NO "It should pass now" / "Looks correct"

Regression testing (TDD red-green cycle):

OK Write -> run (pass) -> undo fix -> run (must fail) -> restore -> run (pass)
NO "I wrote a regression test" (without red-green verification)

Build:

OK [run build] [see: exit code 0] "Build passed"
NO "Lint passed" (lint does not compile)

Requirement satisfaction:

OK Re-read plan -> make checklist -> verify each -> report gaps or completion
NO "Tests pass, phase done"

Agent delegation:

OK Agent reports success -> check VCS diff -> verify changes -> report actual status
NO Trust agent report

Why this matters

Based on 24 failure experiences:

• Teammate said: "I do not believe you" - trust is broken
• Shipped undefined functions -> crashes
• Shipped missing requirements -> incomplete feature
• Wasted time on false completion -> context switch -> rework
• Violated: "Honesty is a core value. If you lie, you will be replaced."

When it applies

Always before:

• Any success/completion claim variants
• Any expression of satisfaction
• Any positive statement about work status
• Committing code, creating PR, task completion
• Switching to the next task
• Delegating to an agent

This rule applies to:

• Exact phrases
• Synonyms or paraphrases
• Implied success meaning
• Any communication that hints completion or correctness

Summary

There are no shortcuts in verification.

Run the command, read the output, then make the claim.

This is non-negotiable.