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Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence
The skill file stays in the publisher's repository.
Paste the copied command in a terminal. It installs this SKILL.md into that agent.
npx skills add mvschwarz/openrig --skill verification-before-completion -a cursor -y
Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always
Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always
Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.
Core principle: Evidence before claims, always.
This rule serves shipping — it is not a ritual that outranks it. It governs one thing: claims that a verifiable result holds ("tests pass", "build succeeds", "bug fixed") — run the check before you assert it, and scale the check to the stakes (a one-line copy tweak is not a test-suite ceremony). Don't dodge it with synonyms; equally, don't inflate it into a tax on the word "done" or a reason to keep re-proving instead of shipping the working thing.
NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE
If you haven't run the verification command in this message, you cannot claim it passes.
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
| 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 |
| 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 |
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
Running a verification is necessary but not sufficient: a check can exit clean and still prove nothing. These are the named ways a green check lies — the failure siblings behind "evidence before claims." (Deeper treatment of what you verify against: reference-first-verification.)
[1 lines] and No matches found both read as "a match" to a line-count.)evidenceRef NOW SET: printed above the untouched original) is indistinguishable from a verification in a transcript. Diff the actual result against your actual input, not against a claim about it.node --check / lint / parse pass is the covered axis; boot and runtime are the untested one. Parseable ≠ sound.await against a stated deadline that never re-checks cannot fail loudly. Race it against a timer so failure has a shape you can see.grep -c / grep -o / full-line output — never cut, head, or a pager, which can hide a match past the cut. Distinguish "I found N" (a count) from "I saw N" (a display). Audit multiline prose by paragraph, not by line — a line filter both misses long-line matches and false-flags paragraphs whose companion text is on the next line. Then re-audit with a different method than the one that built the inventory — same-method re-checking reproduces the blind spot. (Empty/short output is a claim about your COMMAND until re-proven a second way.)From 24 failure memories:
ALWAYS before:
Rule applies to:
No shortcuts for verification.
Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.
This is non-negotiable.