audit-engine
Activate when the user wants to audit a paper's empirical or technical claims against a linked code repository — checking whether experiments, datasets, models, metrics, and hyperparameters described in the paper actually exist and match the code. Produces a structured audit report classifying each claim as CONFIRMED, PARTIAL, MISSING, or MISMATCH, with file/line evidence. Useful for reproducibility checks, reviewer due diligence, and pre-submission self-audits of ML/CS/empirical papers that ship code.
Orchestration Log: When this skill is activated, append a log entry to
outputs/orchestration_log.md:### Skill Activation: Audit Engine **Timestamp:** [current date/time] **Actor:** AI Agent (audit-engine) **Input:** [paper + repo being audited] **Output:** [brief summary — e.g., "Audited 18 claims: 12 CONFIRMED, 3 PARTIAL, 2 MISSING, 1 MISMATCH"]
Audit Engine
Core Principle
Papers make claims. Code embodies what was actually done. This engine systematically checks whether the two agree. For every empirical or technical claim in the paper — datasets used, models trained, metrics reported, hyperparameters set, ablations run — the engine locates supporting evidence in the linked repository and classifies the match.
This is the complement to verification-engine, which checks citations against
external sources. Audit-engine checks the paper's own claims against the paper's
own code. Together they cover both failure modes of LLM-assisted writing: mis-cited
prior work and unsupported own-work claims.
Inspired by the /audit command in the Feynman research agent (Companion AI, 2026),
adapted to the IS/CS methodological style of this plugin.
When to Activate
- User says "audit the paper", "check paper vs. code", "verify my experiments", "reproducibility audit", "does the code match what I wrote"
- Before submitting a paper with an accompanying code release
- Before open-sourcing the repo of a published paper
- When reviewing someone else's paper + artifact
- As optional Phase 7.5 of the paper machine pipeline (after verify-citations, before prepare-submission)
When NOT to Activate
- The paper has no code artifact (pure theory, position paper, qualitative study without computational analysis) → say so and exit
- The user wants to verify citations → activate
verification-engineinstead - The user wants to check writing quality → activate the writing-engine
/analyze-writingcommand
Inputs
Required:
- Paper source —
paper.tex,draft.md, or explicit$ARGUMENTSpath - Code repository — one of:
- Local path (
./experiments/,~/repos/myproject) - GitHub URL (clone or use
gh repo view/WebFetchon raw files) - Archive link (Zenodo, OSF) — ask user to download locally first
- Local path (
If the repo location is not supplied, scan the paper for common signals:
- "Code available at [URL]" / "Our implementation is at [URL]"
- GitHub URLs in footnotes or acknowledgements
- A
code_availabilitysection - A
REPRODUCIBILITY.md,ARTIFACT.md, or similar file sibling to the paper
If still not found: ask the user once, then exit.
Step 1: Extract Auditable Claims
Scan the paper for claims that can be checked against code. Ignore claims that are purely conceptual, historical, or theoretical.
Claim Categories (check in order)
| Category | What to look for | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Dataset | Named datasets, split sizes, sample counts, data sources | HIGH |
| Model | Model names, architectures, parameter counts, checkpoints | HIGH |
| Training | Epochs, batch size, learning rate, optimizer, hardware | HIGH |
| Metrics | Reported numbers (accuracy, F1, BLEU, loss values, percentages) | HIGH |
| Experiments | Named experimental conditions, ablations, baselines | HIGH |
| Hyperparameters | Specific values in tables or "Training Details" | MEDIUM |
| Preprocessing | Tokenization, normalization, filtering steps | MEDIUM |
| Evaluation | Test protocol, prompt templates, judge models, seeds | MEDIUM |
| Infrastructure | GPUs, training time, framework versions | LOW |
| Figures | Plots claimed to come from "our experiments" | MEDIUM |
Extraction Pattern
For each claim, record:
{
id: "C01",
category: "Model",
section: "4.2 Model Training",
claim_text: "We fine-tune LLaMA-3-8B for 3 epochs with a learning rate of 2e-5.",
testable_facts: [
"model == LLaMA-3-8B",
"epochs == 3",
"learning_rate == 2e-5"
],
priority: "HIGH"
}
Claims with concrete numbers, names, or identifiers are testable. Vague claims
("we use a standard transformer") are not auditable — mark them as NOT_AUDITABLE
and skip.
Output: outputs/audit_claims.md — numbered list of all testable claims.
Step 2: Map the Repository
Before searching, build a lightweight mental map of the repo. Do not read every file.
- Top-level listing —
Globon**/*.{py,ipynb,yaml,yml,json,toml,sh,md}at depth 2-3 - Identify key files by name convention:
train.py,main.py,run_experiments.py,eval.py→ entry pointsconfig.yaml,hparams.json,sweep.yaml,*.toml→ configurationrequirements.txt,pyproject.toml,environment.yml→ dependenciesREADME.md,REPRODUCE.md,docs/→ documentationresults/,outputs/,logs/,wandb/→ experiment artifactsdatasets/,data/,load_data.py→ data loaders
- Detect framework — PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow, HuggingFace, scikit-learn — this guides search patterns
- Detect experiment tracking — wandb, mlflow, tensorboard, plain CSV logs
Record this as an internal map; do not output it unless the user asks.
Step 3: Search for Evidence (per claim)
For each testable claim, systematically search for supporting code evidence.
Search Strategy
Use Grep and Read — NOT an agent — for transparency. Each lookup should produce
a file path and line number that can be cited in the report.
Example — Model claim "LLaMA-3-8B, 3 epochs, lr=2e-5":
- Search for the model name:
Grep "llama-?3-?8b|Llama-3-8B" --type py - Search for learning rate:
Grep "2e-?5|0.00002|learning_rate.*2e-5" - Search for epochs:
Grep "epochs\s*[:=]\s*3|num_epochs.*3" - Check config files:
Read config/*.yamlfor matching values - If wandb/mlflow logs exist, grep those too
Example — Metric claim "we report an F1 of 0.87":
- Search results files:
Grep "0\.87" --type json --type csv --type md - Search eval scripts:
Grep -l "f1_score|F1" eval*.py - Check if the number appears in a logged output
Example — Dataset claim "trained on 12,000 examples from OpenReview":
- Search for dataset loader:
Grep "openreview" -i - Check size assertions:
Grep "12000|12_000|len\(.*\).*12" - Read the data loading function to confirm source
Record Evidence
For each claim, record:
{
id: "C01",
searches: ["llama-3-8b", "lr=2e-5", "epochs=3"],
hits: [
{file: "train.py", line: 42, snippet: "model_name = 'meta-llama/Llama-3-8B'"},
{file: "config/train.yaml", line: 7, snippet: "learning_rate: 2e-5"},
{file: "config/train.yaml", line: 8, snippet: "epochs: 5"} // NOTE mismatch
]
}
Do not hallucinate hits. If Grep returns nothing, record an empty hits list.
Step 4: Classify Each Claim
Classification Rubric
| Status | Criteria | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| CONFIRMED | Every testable fact in the claim has matching code evidence | File + line for each fact |
| PARTIAL | Some facts confirmed, others missing or unchecked | Confirmed facts listed; gaps called out |
| MISSING | No code evidence found for any fact in the claim | Which searches returned empty |
| MISMATCH | Code evidence exists but contradicts the claim | Side-by-side: paper says X, code says Y |
| NOT_AUDITABLE | Claim is too vague to check, or code is not available | Brief reason |
Rules of Engagement
- Be conservative. If you're not sure a search hit actually supports the claim, mark PARTIAL and explain what's missing.
- Never mark CONFIRMED without a file:line reference. "I think it's probably in the training script" is not evidence.
- Treat MISMATCH as load-bearing. Even a single MISMATCH is worth flagging prominently — these are the findings the user most needs to know.
- Distinguish MISSING from NOT_AUDITABLE. MISSING means the claim is checkable but no evidence exists (red flag). NOT_AUDITABLE means the claim itself is too vague (usually fine, but worth rewriting).
- Do not run code. This engine is a static audit. Running experiments is the job of a separate replication step (future extension point).
Step 5: Generate Audit Report
Save to outputs/audit_report.md.
Report Template
# Paper-vs-Code Audit Report
**Paper:** [paper title]
**Paper source:** [paper.tex | draft.md | path]
**Code repository:** [local path or URL]
**Commit / version audited:** [git SHA if available, else "working tree"]
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Auditor:** audit-engine (Open Academic Paper Machine v6.4)
## Summary
| Status | Count | % |
|--------|-------|---|
| CONFIRMED | [n] | [%] |
| PARTIAL | [n] | [%] |
| MISSING | [n] | [%] |
| MISMATCH | [n] | [%] |
| NOT_AUDITABLE | [n] | [%] |
**Overall signal:** [one sentence — e.g., "Core experiments check out; 2 mismatches
in reported hyperparameters need attention before submission."]
## Critical Findings
### MISMATCH — Paper and Code Disagree
#### [C03] [Section 4.2] "We train for 3 epochs with learning rate 2e-5"
- **Paper says:** epochs = 3, lr = 2e-5
- **Code says:**
- `config/train.yaml:8` → `epochs: 5`
- `config/train.yaml:7` → `learning_rate: 2e-5` ✓
- **Recommendation:** Update the paper to say 5 epochs, or re-run with 3 and
re-check the reported numbers.
[repeat for each mismatch]
### MISSING — Claim Not Supported by Code
#### [C07] [Section 5.1] "We evaluate on the held-out 10% split (1,200 examples)"
- **Paper says:** held-out split of 1,200 examples
- **Searched:** `held.out`, `test_split`, `1200`, `0\.1`
- **Result:** No split logic found in `data/loader.py`. `eval.py` loads the entire
dataset without stratification.
- **Recommendation:** Either add split logic to the repo or remove the claim from
the paper.
[repeat for each missing]
## Detailed Findings by Section
### Section 4 — Method
| # | Claim | Category | Status | Evidence |
|---|-------|----------|--------|----------|
| C01 | LLaMA-3-8B model | Model | CONFIRMED | `train.py:42` |
| C02 | 2e-5 learning rate | Training | CONFIRMED | `config/train.yaml:7` |
| C03 | 3 epochs | Training | MISMATCH | see Critical Findings |
| C04 | AdamW optimizer | Training | CONFIRMED | `train.py:88` |
### Section 5 — Experiments
| # | Claim | Category | Status | Evidence |
|---|-------|----------|--------|----------|
| C05 | F1 = 0.87 on test set | Metric | CONFIRMED | `results/test_metrics.json:12` |
| C06 | 3 random seeds | Training | PARTIAL | seeds {42,43} found in `run.sh`, third seed unclear |
| C07 | Held-out 10% split | Dataset | MISSING | see Critical Findings |
[repeat for each section]
## Not Auditable
Claims that are too vague to check or depend on external state:
| # | Claim | Reason |
|---|-------|--------|
| C12 | "A standard transformer architecture" | Vague — no specific config to check |
| C15 | "Comparable to human performance" | Depends on external human benchmark |
## Repository Map (for context)
- **Entry points:** `train.py`, `eval.py`, `run_sweep.sh`
- **Configs:** `config/train.yaml`, `config/eval.yaml`
- **Data loading:** `data/loader.py`
- **Dependencies:** `requirements.txt` (53 packages)
- **Experiment tracking:** wandb (runs in `wandb/`)
- **Results:** `results/` (JSON + CSV logs)
## Methodology Note
This audit was a **static audit**: code was read and grepped, but no experiments
were re-run. Matches indicate that the paper's claims are consistent with the code
*as written*, not that the code was verified to produce the reported numbers.
A full reproducibility check would additionally:
1. Install dependencies in a clean environment
2. Re-run training with the exact config
3. Re-run evaluation and compare numbers to the paper
See Extension Points below.
## Extension Points
- **Dynamic replication:** re-run the training/eval pipeline in a Docker container
and compare metrics to the paper (Feynman-style `/replicate`, not yet implemented
in this plugin)
- **Diff-based re-audit:** after fixing mismatches, re-run on changed claims only
- **Multi-repo audits:** audit a paper that uses code from multiple repos (e.g.,
baseline models from external sources)
Prioritization Strategy
If the paper has many claims, process in this order and save intermediate results after each tier so the user can act early:
Tier 1 — High-stakes claims (verify first)
- Reported numbers in tables and abstract
- Model identifier and size
- Dataset identifier and size
- Any claim the paper's contribution depends on
Tier 2 — Method details
- Hyperparameters, optimizers, schedulers
- Preprocessing, tokenization
- Evaluation protocol
Tier 3 — Context
- Infrastructure (GPUs, training time)
- Framework versions
- Figure provenance
After Tier 1, present a progress snapshot:
AUDIT PROGRESS
Tier 1 (High-stakes): [12/12] Complete
CONFIRMED: 9 | PARTIAL: 1 | MISSING: 1 | MISMATCH: 1
>> 1 mismatch found — see audit_report.md
Tier 2 (Method): [0/8] Queued
Tier 3 (Context): [0/4] Queued
Continue to Tier 2? [proceeding unless you redirect]
Limitations
What This Engine Can Do
- Check named entities (datasets, models) against code references
- Verify hyperparameter values in configs match the paper
- Confirm metrics appear in logged results
- Catch contradictions between paper and code (MISMATCH)
- Catch unsupported claims (MISSING)
- Flag vague claims that should be rewritten (NOT_AUDITABLE)
What This Engine Cannot Do
- Run the code and reproduce the numbers (static audit only)
- Detect whether the code would actually produce the claimed behaviour if run
- Audit closed-source or paywalled dependencies
- Audit manual/qualitative steps ("we prompted GPT-4 iteratively until...")
- Replace a human artifact reviewer
Failure Modes to Watch For
- Config vs. code divergence — the YAML says one thing,
train.pyhard-codes another. Always check both. - Scripts that override configs —
run.shmay pass--epochs 10that overrides the YAML. Grep shell scripts too. - Multiple configs — papers often report one experiment; the repo has ten. Match the config to the paper, not the other way around.
- Notebooks —
.ipynbfiles are JSON;Grepworks but read carefully.
Relationship to Other Skills
verification-engine— checks external citations against sources.audit-enginechecks own-work claims against own code. Run both before submission for full coverage.review-engine— simulated peer review. An audit report is a natural input to a simulated reviewer.prepare-submission— a clean audit report is a strong artifact to include with submissions to venues that accept reproducibility statements (e.g. NeurIPS Reproducibility Checklist, ML Reproducibility Challenge).