# Verify Before Done

> Completion-check gate to run BEFORE declaring a task done. Walks through success criteria, factual claims (numbers/URLs/features/processes), writing conventions (propose-then-write, frontmatter, naming, no leftover placeholders) and scope creep; explicitly admits what failed or was skipped. Use at the end of every multi-step task, especially before writing into a notes vault. Run BEFORE saying done; recording findings into persistent memory is session-capture's job (runs after completion). Triggers: "done?", "verify before done", "completion check", "before-done", and Czech aliases "hotovo?", "ověř než dokončíš".

- Skill: `adamradek-ux/verify-before-done` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add adamradek-ux/verify-before-done`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/adamradek-ux/verify-before-done/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Author: adamradek-ux (https://skillmd.com/u/adamradek-ux)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/adamradek-ux/verify-before-done

---


Before you say "done", run this checklist. It is not a formality — it is a gate. If
anything fails, **fix it or report it**; never declare the task complete with silent debt.

## Checklist

1. **Success criteria** — for a multi-step task, did you formulate verifiable criteria
   at the start (goal-driven execution)? Did you meet **every one**? Walk through them
   one by one, not wholesale.

2. **Factual claims** — is every number, URL, feature name and process in your output
   verified against a source (project docs / knowledge base / the live web)? Whatever
   you did not verify, mark as unverified — do not present it as fact. No invented
   URLs, functions, or processes.

3. **Notes/vault writes** (if you wrote into the user's notes or vault):
   - Did the write go through `propose → OK → write`? (Nothing is written into the
     vault without an explicit instruction.) *This is a human gate — it cannot be
     delegated.*
   - **Delegate deterministic checks to tooling instead of eyeballing them.** If this
     pack's frontmatter hook (`hooks/hook-frontmatter-check.sh`) or your own linter is
     wired up, check its warnings for the touched files: required frontmatter keys
     (`tags`/`status`/`created` or your project's equivalent), kebab-case file names,
     and unfilled `{{...}}` placeholders.
   - Anything the linter or hook reports → fix it before saying done.

4. **Scope** — did you touch only what the task asked for? No "while I was at it I
   also improved" neighboring files without instruction.

5. **What did NOT work** — what did you skip, what failed, what is only partial? Say
   it plainly in the conclusion. A test failed → include the output. You skipped a
   step → admit it. No hedging, no "should work" without verification.

## Output

Short summary: what passed, what passed with caveats, what was not met. If anything
failed, the task is **not finished** — go back and complete it, or explicitly escalate
to the user with the reason.

## Notes

- Placeholder syntax (`{{...}}`) shown inside code fences or inline code is
  documentation, not a violation — only unfilled placeholders in finished prose count.
- Respect your project's declared exceptions (template folders, bulk imports, special
  files like `CLAUDE.md`/`README.md`) instead of flagging them as violations.