verify
Turn "it looks done" into a verdict backed by executed evidence. All paths below
are relative to this skill's directory.
Three laws
- No verdict without an executed command. Cite the command, exit code, and a line of output. A gate that could not run is not run, never passing.
- No finding without a refutation attempt. Every model-authored candidate faces an independent skeptic. Survivors are reported; the rest are counted.
- No repair that only silences the checker. The richer tiers refuse skipped or weakened tests, suppressions, widened types, swallowed errors, edited CI, and rewritten plans.
scripts/forbidden-repairs.mjs enforces this.
Modes and tiers
Syntax: Codex uses $verify; the Claude plugin uses /maxgfr:verify; a
standalone Claude skill uses /verify.
| Invocation |
Agents |
What it does |
no arguments / ultralight |
at most 1 |
Default. Run every detected gate once; no analysis or repair. |
light |
~7 + 1/candidate |
Gates, plan conformance, 3-lens defect hunt, one skeptic per claim, repair loop. |
normal |
~9 + 1–3/candidate |
light plus behaviour proof and panels on blockers. |
deep |
~13 + 1–3/candidate |
Every lens, red-green audit, panels throughout. |
report |
— |
Read-only, any tier. Follow with "fix" to apply blockers once. |
crosscheck |
+1 + 1/candidate |
Add a second opinion from the other CLI agent. |
<ref> |
— |
Explicit fixed point (main, a SHA, HEAD~3). |
The default answers only whether the repository's commands pass now. It does
not read the diff, check a plan, hunt defects, prove behaviour, or repair a
failure. Use verify light when the change itself needs analysis and repair.
Presets and full configuration: references/config.md.
Phase 0 — Resolve, then route
Do this in the main context before spending an agent.
- Config first. Run
node scripts/resolve-config.mjs --cwd <repo> --host <host> -- <arguments>. Pass its tier, mode, ref, and config unchanged. A tier-like branch needs --ref light; crosscheck is a modifier.
- Gates. Run
node scripts/detect-gates.mjs --cwd <repo> --pretty.
- Run directory. Create
<report.dir>/<YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS>/ and prune oldest runs beyond keep_runs.
The short route applies when the resolved config has only gates enabled and
the loop disabled: spec: false, defects: false, behavior: "off",
peer: false, loop.enabled: false.
- Run the gates lane once, at low effort. With no detected gate, spend no agent and return
UNPROVEN; never escalate tiers.
- Skip delta, promise, ref, baseline, matrix, judging, reporter, and fix-loop work. A blocking gate that fails, times out, or cannot run returns
FAIL after that pass. Report a non-blocking gate failure without sinking the verdict.
- Write the compact report from the returned structured gate evidence in the main context. This keeps the report path real without spending a reporter agent.
Any explicit richer tier, enabled analysis lane, peer crosscheck, or enabled
loop takes the full route below.
Full-route pinning
- Delta. User ref wins. Otherwise: no commits → whole working tree; dirty tree →
git diff HEAD, cached diff, and commits since merge-base; clean tree → diff from git merge-base --fork-point origin/<default> HEAD; non-git → target directory. Always include ?? paths from git status --porcelain as whole-file additions; never mutate the index with git add -N.
- Promise. User path → active host plan artifact →
docs/plans/, docs/superpowers/plans/, specs/, .scratch/ → referenced issue → inferred intent, named as such. An approved docs/plans/ file is announced before agent work.
- Baseline, only when repair is enabled.
git stash create; empty output means use HEAD. It touches no ref or file.
- Host, only for peer crosscheck. Pass the executing host,
claude or codex; do not infer it from installed commands.
Stop if an explicit ref does not resolve or the full-route diff is empty.
Full pipeline
Read references/lanes.md for lane briefs.
| Phase |
What |
Detail |
| 1 · Matrix |
Aim analysis at the plan and diff |
references/matrix.md |
| 2 · Lanes |
Gates, conformance, defects, behaviour, optional peer |
per resolved config |
| 3 · Judging |
Refute candidate findings |
references/judging.md |
| 4 · Verdict |
Compact response and durable report |
references/report.md |
| 5 · Loop |
Repair, guard, and recheck |
references/fix-loop.md |
Lane E is opt-in through crosscheck; its findings face the same skeptics. Read
references/crosscheck.md for its brief and schema. An unavailable requested
peer is named in RESIDUAL RISK.
Every stage inherits the session model unless config pins it. Prefer the highest
host capability available:
- Workflow. Call
Workflow with workflows/verify.mjs and resolved Phase 0 data.
- Parallel subagents. Follow
references/fallbacks.md and its deterministic schedule.
- Inline. Run the same enabled phases sequentially and report
execution: inline.
Output contract
Return only: verdict and tier; for every tier below deep, a second line naming
what was not checked; EVIDENCE rows with command, exit code, and first failing
line; surviving findings with failure scenarios; REQUIREMENTS counts when the
spec lane ran; RESIDUAL RISK; and a real report path. Examples and red flags:
references/report.md.
| Verdict |
Meaning |
PASS |
Every blocking gate passed, no blocking finding survived, and a gate or behaviour proof completed. Non-blocking failures remain visible evidence. |
FAIL |
A blocking gate failed, timed out, or could not run; a blocking finding survived; or an enabled loop stopped. |
UNPROVEN |
No gate completed and no behaviour was proven. This is not a pass. |
Anything unverified or errored is named in RESIDUAL RISK. Findings killed by
skeptics are a count, not a list. When report_path is null, write the short
report yourself in the run directory before printing its path.
1---2name: verify3description: Use when the user explicitly invokes verify to check completed work with repository gates and evidence.4license: MIT5---67# verify89Turn "it looks done" into a verdict backed by executed evidence. All paths below10are relative to this skill's directory.1112## Three laws13141. **No verdict without an executed command.** Cite the command, exit code, and a line of output. A gate that could not run is *not run*, never passing.152. **No finding without a refutation attempt.** Every model-authored candidate faces an independent skeptic. Survivors are reported; the rest are counted.163. **No repair that only silences the checker.** The richer tiers refuse skipped or weakened tests, suppressions, widened types, swallowed errors, edited CI, and rewritten plans. `scripts/forbidden-repairs.mjs` enforces this.1718## Modes and tiers1920Syntax: Codex uses `$verify`; the Claude plugin uses `/maxgfr:verify`; a21standalone Claude skill uses `/verify`.2223| Invocation | Agents | What it does |24|---|---|---|25| no arguments / `ultralight` | at most 1 | **Default.** Run every detected gate once; no analysis or repair. |26| `light` | ~7 + 1/candidate | Gates, plan conformance, 3-lens defect hunt, one skeptic per claim, repair loop. |27| `normal` | ~9 + 1–3/candidate | `light` plus behaviour proof and panels on blockers. |28| `deep` | ~13 + 1–3/candidate | Every lens, red-green audit, panels throughout. |29| `report` | — | Read-only, any tier. Follow with "fix" to apply blockers once. |30| `crosscheck` | +1 + 1/candidate | Add a second opinion from the other CLI agent. |31| `<ref>` | — | Explicit fixed point (`main`, a SHA, `HEAD~3`). |3233The default answers only whether the repository's commands pass now. It does34not read the diff, check a plan, hunt defects, prove behaviour, or repair a35failure. Use `verify light` when the change itself needs analysis and repair.36Presets and full configuration: `references/config.md`.3738## Phase 0 — Resolve, then route3940Do this in the main context before spending an agent.41421. **Config first.** Run `node scripts/resolve-config.mjs --cwd <repo> --host <host> -- <arguments>`. Pass its `tier`, `mode`, `ref`, and `config` unchanged. A tier-like branch needs `--ref light`; `crosscheck` is a modifier.432. **Gates.** Run `node scripts/detect-gates.mjs --cwd <repo> --pretty`.443. **Run directory.** Create `<report.dir>/<YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS>/` and prune oldest runs beyond `keep_runs`.4546The **short route** applies when the resolved config has only gates enabled and47the loop disabled: `spec: false`, `defects: false`, `behavior: "off"`,48`peer: false`, `loop.enabled: false`.4950- Run the gates lane once, at low effort. With no detected gate, spend no agent and return `UNPROVEN`; never escalate tiers.51- Skip delta, promise, ref, baseline, matrix, judging, reporter, and fix-loop work. A blocking gate that fails, times out, or cannot run returns `FAIL` after that pass. Report a non-blocking gate failure without sinking the verdict.52- Write the compact report from the returned structured gate evidence in the main context. This keeps the report path real without spending a reporter agent.5354Any explicit richer tier, enabled analysis lane, peer crosscheck, or enabled55loop takes the full route below.5657## Full-route pinning58591. **Delta.** User ref wins. Otherwise: no commits → whole working tree; dirty tree → `git diff HEAD`, cached diff, and commits since merge-base; clean tree → diff from `git merge-base --fork-point origin/<default> HEAD`; non-git → target directory. Always include `??` paths from `git status --porcelain` as whole-file additions; never mutate the index with `git add -N`.602. **Promise.** User path → active host plan artifact → `docs/plans/`, `docs/superpowers/plans/`, `specs/`, `.scratch/` → referenced issue → inferred intent, named as such. An approved `docs/plans/` file is announced before agent work.613. **Baseline, only when repair is enabled.** `git stash create`; empty output means use `HEAD`. It touches no ref or file.624. **Host, only for peer crosscheck.** Pass the executing host, `claude` or `codex`; do not infer it from installed commands.6364Stop if an explicit ref does not resolve or the full-route diff is empty.6566## Full pipeline6768Read `references/lanes.md` for lane briefs.6970| Phase | What | Detail |71|---|---|---|72| 1 · Matrix | Aim analysis at the plan and diff | `references/matrix.md` |73| 2 · Lanes | Gates, conformance, defects, behaviour, optional peer | per resolved config |74| 3 · Judging | Refute candidate findings | `references/judging.md` |75| 4 · Verdict | Compact response and durable report | `references/report.md` |76| 5 · Loop | Repair, guard, and recheck | `references/fix-loop.md` |7778Lane E is opt-in through `crosscheck`; its findings face the same skeptics. Read79`references/crosscheck.md` for its brief and schema. An unavailable requested80peer is named in `RESIDUAL RISK`.8182Every stage inherits the session model unless config pins it. Prefer the highest83host capability available:84851. **Workflow.** Call `Workflow` with `workflows/verify.mjs` and resolved Phase 0 data.862. **Parallel subagents.** Follow `references/fallbacks.md` and its deterministic schedule.873. **Inline.** Run the same enabled phases sequentially and report `execution: inline`.8889## Output contract9091Return only: verdict and tier; for every tier below `deep`, a second line naming92what was not checked; EVIDENCE rows with command, exit code, and first failing93line; surviving findings with failure scenarios; REQUIREMENTS counts when the94spec lane ran; RESIDUAL RISK; and a real report path. Examples and red flags:95`references/report.md`.9697| Verdict | Meaning |98|---|---|99| `PASS` | Every blocking gate passed, no blocking finding survived, and a gate or behaviour proof completed. Non-blocking failures remain visible evidence. |100| `FAIL` | A blocking gate failed, timed out, or could not run; a blocking finding survived; or an enabled loop stopped. |101| `UNPROVEN` | No gate completed and no behaviour was proven. This is not a pass. |102103Anything unverified or errored is named in `RESIDUAL RISK`. Findings killed by104skeptics are a count, not a list. When `report_path` is `null`, write the short105report yourself in the run directory before printing its path.
maxgfr