Verification Before Completion

Evidence-based verification pattern. Never trust "it works" without running actual checks. Verify every acceptance criterion against observable behavior. Use before marking any task or phase as complete.

Verification Before Completion

Core principle

Evidence over claims. Never trust that something works without running the actual verification.

Checklist before declaring anything "done"

  1. Run the tests: Not "I'm confident the tests pass." Actually run them. Report actual output.
  2. Check acceptance criteria: For each criterion, verify against observable behavior:
    • "Filter persists in URL params" → actually navigate and check the URL
    • "Returns 401 for invalid credentials" → actually make the request
    • "Shows error message" → actually trigger the error and check the UI
  3. Typecheck: Run the type checker. Report results.
  4. Visual verification (for UI changes): Actually look at the rendered output.

What verification is NOT

  • "I'm confident this works" — not verification
  • "The code looks correct" — not verification
  • "I tested a similar pattern before" — not verification
  • "The types are correct so it must work" — not verification

Verification is running the actual check and observing the actual result.

If a criterion cannot be verified

Flag it. Do not assume it passes. Report: "Cannot verify criterion X because [reason]. Recommend manual verification."