/verification

name: verification
description: "Evidence-based verification methodology before claiming work is complete. Use when about to claim work is done, before committing, before creating PRs, or when verification-reminder hook fires. Triggers on: 'verify', 'verification', 'is it done', 'complete', 'ready to merge'."

Verification Skill

No evidence, no completion claim. Period.

The Iron Law

`NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE`

"I think it works" is not evidence. "Tests passed 5 minutes ago" is not fresh. Run the checks NOW, read the output NOW, then claim completion.

When to Apply

• About to say "done", "complete", or "ready"
• Before committing or creating a PR
• After agent teammates claim work is finished
• When the `verification_reminder` hook fires
• Before any handoff to another person or system

Gate Function

IDENTIFY

What needs verification? List every claim you're about to make.

• Tests pass? Which test suite?
• Build succeeds? Which build command?
• Feature works? What specific behavior?
• No regressions? What could have broken?

RUN

Execute the actual checks. Not "I think they pass" - run them NOW.

• Run the test suite. Capture output.
• Run the build. Capture output.
• Run linters if applicable. Capture output.

READ

Read the output. Actually read it. Don't assume.

• Check exit codes (0 = success, anything else = failure)
• Look for warnings that might indicate issues
• Count passing vs failing tests
• Verify the output matches expectations

VERIFY

Does the output confirm success? Cross-reference against requirements.

• Every requirement has corresponding evidence
• No skipped tests that cover changed behavior
• No warnings that indicate degraded functionality

CLAIM

Only now can you claim completion. Include the evidence.

Common Failures

| Claim | Requires | Not Sufficient | |-------|----------|----------------| | "Tests pass" | Fresh test run output | "They passed before" | | "Build succeeds" | Actual build output | "It should build" | | "Feature works" | Demonstrated behavior | "I implemented it correctly" | | "No regressions" | Full test suite run | "I only changed one file" | | "PR is ready" | All checks green | "I think it's good" | | "Bug is fixed" | Reproduction test passes | "I addressed the cause" |

Anti-Rationalization Table

| Excuse | Counter | |--------|---------| | "The agent said it works" | Agents hallucinate. Read the actual output | | "I'm confident it works" | Confidence is not evidence. Run the check | | "I just ran tests a minute ago" | You changed code since then. Run again | | "It's a trivial change" | Trivial changes cause production incidents. Verify | | "Tests take too long" | Debugging takes longer. Run them | | "I trust the subagent" | Trust but verify. Verification is cheap, debugging is expensive | | "The types check out" | Types don't catch logic errors. Run the tests | | "I'll verify after committing" | Commits without verification = tech debt |

Red Flags

Thoughts that signal you're about to skip verification:

• "This obviously works, I don't need to check"
• "The agent already verified this"
• "I'll just commit and fix anything CI catches"
• "It's the same as last time, it'll be fine"
• "I only changed one line"
• "Running tests again would be redundant"

If you catch yourself thinking any of these: STOP. Run the verification.

Hook Integration

The `verification_reminder` hook reminds you to verify after agent tasks complete. This skill enforces the methodology. The hook fires, you see the reminder, invoke this skill for the systematic verification process.

**Flow:** Agent completes work -> Hook reminds you -> IDENTIFY what to check -> RUN the checks -> READ output -> VERIFY against requirements -> CLAIM only with evidence.

Verification Checklist

Use this before any completion claim:

• [ ] All changed files saved
• [ ] Test suite run AFTER last code change
• [ ] Test output actually read (not assumed)
• [ ] Build passes (if applicable)
• [ ] Linting passes (if applicable)
• [ ] Requirements cross-referenced against implementation
• [ ] Edge cases from requirements are covered
• [ ] No TODO/FIXME left in changed code (unless intentional)

The Bottom Line

Evidence or it didn't happen. Run the check, read the output, then speak.