# Verify Release

> Pre-release verification that first requires a complete release-changelog audit, then checks README, docs, roadmap, test coverage, examples, and the full test suite for regressions.

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

---


# Pre-Release Verification

You are a meticulous release engineer for the elephc PHP-to-native compiler. Your job is to verify that everything is consistent, documented, tested, and working before a version tag across the supported target matrix.

This skill is an explicit exception to the normal implementation workflow in `AGENTS.md`: because release verification is specifically requested, run the full local suite unless the user asks to skip it. For ordinary feature/bug-fix work, do not invoke full-suite commands locally; rely on focused tests and the CI matrix.

## Steps

### 0. Release changelog prerequisite

Run `prepare-release-changelog` before beginning the remaining release checks. Read and follow `../prepare-release-changelog/SKILL.md`; require its PR/direct-commit ledger to cover the exact candidate head with zero unresolved commits. If the audit has not completed, if the candidate SHA changed afterward, or if approved edits to the numbered candidate release section remain unapplied, stop and complete that skill first. `[Unreleased]` must remain empty.

### 1. README.md Completeness

Read `README.md`. Cross-check against the actual codebase:

- **Built-in functions list**: the canonical builtin registry is `src/types/checker/builtins/catalog.rs` (with `src/types/signatures.rs`); the active EIR lowering lives in `src/codegen_ir/lower_inst/builtins/`. The legacy `src/codegen/builtins/` path is frozen — do not use it as the source of truth. Compare the catalog against the README's "Built-in functions" section. Report any function that is implemented but not listed in the README.
- **Supported constructs table**: check that all statement types (if, while, for, foreach, do-while, break, continue, include/require, type casting, etc.) are listed.
- **Constants**: check that all constants recognized in the lexer (INF, NAN, PHP_INT_MAX, etc.) are mentioned.
- **Type system section**: verify the type count and descriptions match reality.
- **Project structure**: verify directory tree matches actual `src/` layout.

### 2. Documentation (docs/)

Docs use the current Astro-compatible tree: `docs/README.md`, `docs/getting-started/`, `docs/how-to/`, `docs/compiling/` (the compiler CLI and the compilation process), `docs/php/` (standard PHP), `docs/beyond-php/` (compiler extensions), and `docs/internals/` (compiler internals). Every Markdown file must have YAML frontmatter with `title`, `description`, and `sidebar.order`, and body content must not add a top-level `#` heading.

Read the relevant pages for each category:

- **Data types** (`docs/php/types.md`): verify each type's "Supported" status is accurate.
- **Operators** (`docs/php/operators.md`): verify all `BinOp` variants in `src/parser/ast.rs` are documented.
- **Built-in functions** (`docs/php/strings.md`, `arrays.md`, `math.md`, `system-and-io.md`, `functions.md`, `types.md`): for EVERY function in the canonical catalog (`src/types/checker/builtins/catalog.rs`), verify it appears in the relevant doc page with correct signature. Pointer and buffer helpers belong under `docs/beyond-php/`.
- **Compiler extensions** (`docs/beyond-php/*.md`): verify pointers, buffers, packed classes, extern FFI, and ifdef features match the codebase.
- **Compilation CLI and process** (`docs/compiling/*.md`): verify `docs/compiling/cli-reference.md` documents EVERY flag and environment variable parsed in `src/cli.rs` (and that each flag's default and accepted values match), and that the pipeline, targets, and optimization pages match `src/pipeline.rs`, `src/codegen/platform/`, and `src/ir_passes/` (the EIR optimization pass driver). A new or renamed flag with no matching `cli-reference.md` entry is a release blocker.
- **Internals** (`docs/internals/*.md`): verify architecture, lexer, parser, type checker, codegen, runtime, optimizer, EIR / IR passes, and memory model pages match the current source tree.
- **"Not supported yet" notes**: verify none of them refer to features that have actually been implemented.
- **Known incompatibilities**: verify they are still accurate.
- **Cross-links**: verify relative Markdown links point to existing files. Ignore fenced code blocks and inline code spans when scanning links/headings.

### 3. ROADMAP.md Consistency

Read the current version section in `ROADMAP.md`:

- For every `[x]` item: verify the feature actually exists (grep for the function name, check for the AST node, etc.).
- For every `[ ]` item: confirm it is genuinely not implemented.
- Report any notable implemented feature that is missing from the current version section. If the user asks to fix verification findings, add the missing work there as `[x]`; release preparation may record delivered work that was not planned earlier.

### 4. Test Coverage

Read test function names from all test files (`tests/*.rs` and `tests/**/*.rs`). For each implemented feature, check:

- **Codegen tests** (`tests/codegen_tests.rs`, `tests/codegen/`): every built-in function should have at least 1 test. Every operator should have at least 1 test. Every statement type should have at least 1 test. List functions/features with ZERO tests.
- **Error tests** (`tests/error_tests.rs`, `tests/error_tests/`): every built-in function that validates argument count should have an error test. List functions missing error tests.
- **Lexer tests** (`tests/lexer_tests.rs`): every new token type should have a test.
- **Parser tests** (`tests/parser_tests.rs`): every new AST construct should have a test.

### 5. Examples Coverage

List all directories in `examples/`. For each major feature category, check that at least one example demonstrates it:

- Basic types (int, float, string, bool, null, array)
- Control flow (if, while, for, foreach)
- Functions and recursion
- String operations
- Type operations (casting, gettype, empty)
- Math functions
- Include/require
- Any other significant feature

Report features that have no example coverage.

### 6. Code Style Compliance

Check that the codebase follows the project's mandatory conventions from `AGENTS.md`:

- **Rust module preambles**: every repo-owned `*.rs` file must start with a module-level `//!` preamble before any `use`, `mod`, item, or test helper code. The preamble must explain the file's purpose, where it is called from, and key details/invariants. Exclude generated/build output such as `target/`. Report every missing or incomplete preamble.
- **Assembly comment policy**: every `emitter.instruction(...)` call in the codegen and active EIR backend MUST have an inline `//` comment. Scan both `src/codegen/` and `src/codegen_ir/` (the active backend) and report any instruction line WITHOUT a comment. Use this check:
  ```
  grep -rn 'emitter.instruction(' src/codegen/ src/codegen_ir/ | grep -v '//' | head -20
  ```
  Multi-line calls such as `emitter.instruction(&format!(` carry their comment after the closing `));`; those are compliant false positives, not violations.
- **Comment alignment**: the `//` on instruction lines must start at column 81. Run the alignment verification script from `AGENTS.md` on all codegen files and report misaligned lines.
- **Block comments**: related instruction groups should have `// -- description --` block comments before them. Spot-check a few files for missing block comments.
- **File organization**: builtins and runtime emitters should stay cohesive and avoid mixed responsibilities. Leaf builtin/runtime emitter files should usually contain one emitter function; dispatcher/re-export files (`mod.rs`), runtime data emission, tests, and tightly cohesive multi-helper runtime modules should be reviewed for responsibility boundaries rather than flagged mechanically.
- **Zero compiler warnings**: `cargo build` must produce zero warnings.
- **No Co-Authored-By**: verify no commit in the recent history has a Co-Authored-By line.

### 7. Full Test Suite Execution

Run `cargo build` first to verify zero warnings, then run `cargo test` and report. This full local suite is appropriate here because the user invoked pre-release verification. If the user explicitly asks to skip tests, do not run `cargo test` or target Docker scripts; mark the test-suite section as skipped by request and still run the non-test checks.

- Total test count per test file
- Any failures (with details)
- Any compiler warnings

## Output Format

Structure your report as:

```
## Pre-Release Verification Report

### 0. Release Changelog
Status: PASS / FAIL
Range: <last-release-sha>..<candidate-sha>
Coverage: N PRs, M direct commits, K total commits, U unresolved

### 1. README.md
Status: PASS / FAIL
Issues: (list if any)

### 2. Language Reference
Status: PASS / FAIL
Issues: (list if any)

### 3. Roadmap
Status: PASS / FAIL
Issues: (list if any)

### 4. Test Coverage
Status: PASS / FAIL
Missing tests: (list if any)

### 5. Examples
Status: PASS / FAIL
Missing coverage: (list if any)

### 6. Code Style
Status: PASS / FAIL
Missing Rust preambles: (count/list if any)
Uncommented instructions: (count)
Misaligned comments: (count)
Multi-function files: (list if any)

### 7. Test Suite
Build: PASS / FAIL (warnings: N)
Tests: X passed, Y failed
Failures: (details if any)

### Summary
Release ready: YES / NO
Action items: (numbered list of things to fix before tagging)
```

## Important

- Be thorough. Read actual files, don't guess.
- Only report ACTIONABLE issues — things that need fixing.
- Do NOT make changes yourself. Only report findings.
- Run targeted test commands first (e.g., `cargo test test_new_feature`) before the full suite to catch obvious failures early.