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Verification Before Completion

Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always

ai
By obra
241k21kUpdated 4 days agoShellMIT

Skill Content

# Verification Before Completion

## Overview

Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.

**Core principle:** Evidence before claims, always.

**Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit of this rule.**

## The Iron Law

```
NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE
```

If you haven't run the verification command in this message, you cannot claim it passes.

## The Gate Function

```
BEFORE claiming any status or expressing satisfaction:

1. IDENTIFY: What command proves this claim?
2. RUN: Execute the FULL command (fresh, complete)
3. READ: Full output, check exit code, count failures
4. VERIFY: Does output confirm the claim?
   - If NO: State actual status with evidence
   - If YES: State claim WITH evidence
5. ONLY THEN: Make the claim

Skip any step = lying, not verifying
```

## Common Failures

| Claim | Requires | Not Sufficient |
|-------|----------|----------------|
| Tests pass | Test command output: 0 failures | Previous run, "should pass" |
| Linter clean | Linter output: 0 errors | Partial check, extrapolation |
| Build succeeds | Build command: exit 0 | Linter passing, logs look good |
| Bug fixed | Test original symptom: passes | Code changed, assumed fixed |
| Regression test works | Red-green cycle verified | Test passes once |
| Agent completed | VCS diff shows changes | Agent reports "success" |
| Requirements met | Line-by-line checklist | Tests passing |

## Red Flags - STOP

- Using "should", "probably", "seems to"
- Expressing satisfaction before verification ("Great!", "Perfect!", "Done!", etc.)
- About to commit/push/PR without verification
- Trusting agent success reports
- Relying on partial verification
- Thinking "just this once"
- Tired and wanting work over
- **ANY wording implying success without having run verification**

## Rationalization Prevention

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Should work now" | RUN the verification |
| "I'm confident" | Confidence ≠ evidence |
| "Just this once" | No exceptions |
| "Linter passed" | Linter ≠ compiler |
| "Agent said success" | Verify independently |
| "I'm tired" | Exhaustion ≠ excuse |
| "Partial check is enough" | Partial proves nothing |
| "Different words so rule doesn't apply" | Spirit over letter |

## Key Patterns

**Tests:**
```
✅ [Run test command] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass"
❌ "Should pass now" / "Looks correct"
```

**Regression tests (TDD Red-Green):**
```
✅ Write → Run (pass) → Revert fix → Run (MUST FAIL) → Restore → Run (pass)
❌ "I've written a regression test" (without red-green verification)
```

**Build:**
```
✅ [Run build] [See: exit 0] "Build passes"
❌ "Linter passed" (linter doesn't check compilation)
```

**Requirements:**
```
✅ Re-read plan → Create checklist → Verify each → Report gaps or completion
❌ "Tests pass, phase complete"
```

**Agent delegation:**
```
✅ Agent reports success → Check VCS diff → Verify changes → Report actual state
❌ Trust agent report
```

## Why This Matters

From 24 failure memories:
- your human partner said "I don't believe you" - trust broken
- Undefined functions shipped - would crash
- Missing requirements shipped - incomplete features
- Time wasted on false completion → redirect → rework
- Violates: "Honesty is a core value. If you lie, you'll be replaced."

## When To Apply

**ALWAYS before:**
- ANY variation of success/completion claims
- ANY expression of satisfaction
- ANY positive statement about work state
- Committing, PR creation, task completion
- Moving to next task
- Delegating to agents

**Rule applies to:**
- Exact phrases
- Paraphrases and synonyms
- Implications of success
- ANY communication suggesting completion/correctness

## The Bottom Line

**No shortcuts for verification.**

Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.

This is non-negotiable.

How to use

  1. Copy the skill content above
  2. Create a .claude/skills directory in your project
  3. Save as .claude/skills/superpowers-verification-before-completion.md
  4. Use /superpowers-verification-before-completion in Claude Code to invoke this skill

README

View on GitHub

Superpowers

Superpowers is a complete software development methodology for your coding agents, built on top of a set of composable skills and some initial instructions that make sure your agent uses them.

We're Hiring!

We're hiring someone to help out full time with Superpowers community and code work. You can read about the job at https://primeradiant.com/jobs/superpowers-community-engineer/ If this sounds like someone you know, definitely send them our way.

Quickstart

Give your agent Superpowers: Claude Code, Antigravity, Codex App, Codex CLI, Cursor, Factory Droid, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, Kimi Code, OpenCode, Pi.

How it works

It starts from the moment you fire up your coding agent. As soon as it sees that you're building something, it doesn't just jump into trying to write code. Instead, it steps back and asks you what you're really trying to do.

Once it's teased a spec out of the conversation, it shows it to you in chunks short enough to actually read and digest.

After you've signed off on the design, your agent puts together an implementation plan that's clear enough for an enthusiastic junior engineer with poor taste, no judgement, no project context, and an aversion to testing to follow. It emphasizes true red/green TDD, YAGNI (You Aren't Gonna Need It), and DRY.

Next up, once you say "go", it launches a subagent-driven-development process, having agents work through each engineering task, inspecting and reviewing their work, and continuing forward. It's not uncommon for your agent to work autonomously for a couple hours at a time without deviating from the plan you put together.

There's a bunch more to it, but that's the core of the system. And because the skills trigger automatically, you don't need to do anything special. Your coding agent just has Superpowers.

Commercial Services

If you're using Superpowers in enterprise and could benefit from commercial support, additional tooling, or managed spending, please don't hesitate to drop us a line at sales@primeradiant.com.

Installation

Installation differs by harness. If you use more than one, install Superpowers separately for each one.

Claude Code

Superpowers is available via the official Claude plugin marketplace

Official Marketplace

  • Install the plugin from Anthropic's official marketplace:

    /plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official

Superpowers Marketplace

The Superpowers marketplace provides Superpowers and some other related plugins for Claude Code.

  • Register the marketplace:

    /plugin marketplace add obra/superpowers-marketplace

  • Install the plugin from this marketplace:

    /plugin install superpowers@superpowers-marketplace

Antigravity

Install Superpowers as a plugin from this repository:

agy plugin install https://github.com/obra/superpowers

Antigravity runs the plugin's session-start hook, so Superpowers is active from the first message. Reinstall with the same command to update.

Codex App

Superpowers is available via the official Codex plugin marketplace.

  • In the Codex app, click on Plugins in the sidebar.
  • You should see Superpowers in the Coding section.
  • Click the + next to Superpowers and follow the prompts.

Codex CLI

Superpowers is available via the official Codex plugin marketplace.

  • Open the plugin search interface:

    /plugins

  • Search for Superpowers:

    superpowers

  • Select Install Plugin.

Cursor

  • In Cursor Agent chat, install from marketplace:

    /add-plugin superpowers

  • Or search for "superpowers" in the plugin marketplace.

Factory Droid

  • Register the marketplace:

    droid plugin marketplace add https://github.com/obra/superpowers

  • Install the plugin:

    droid plugin install superpowers@superpowers

Gemini CLI

  • Install the extension:

    gemini extensions install https://github.com/obra/superpowers

  • Update later:

    gemini extensions update superpowers

GitHub Copilot CLI

  • Register the marketplace:

    copilot plugin marketplace add obra/superpowers-marketplace

  • Install the plugin:

    copilot plugin install superpowers@superpowers-marketplace

Kimi Code

Superpowers is available in Kimi Code's plugin marketplace.

  • Open Kimi Code's plugin manager:

    /plugins

  • Go to Marketplace > Superpowers and install it.

  • Or install directly from this repository:

    /plugins install https://github.com/obra/superpowers

  • Detailed docs: docs/README.kimi.md

OpenCode

OpenCode uses its own plugin install; install Superpowers separately even if you already use it in another harness.

  • Tell OpenCode:

    Fetch and follow instructions from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/obra/superpowers/refs/heads/main/.opencode/INSTALL.md

  • Detailed docs: docs/README.opencode.md

Pi

Install Superpowers as a Pi package from this repository:

pi install git:github.com/obra/superpowers

For local development, run Pi with this checkout loaded as a temporary package:

pi -e /path/to/superpowers

The Pi package loads the Superpowers skills and a small extension that injects the using-superpowers bootstrap at session startup and again after compaction. Pi has native skills, so no compatibility Skill tool is required. Subagent and task-list tools remain optional Pi companion packages.

The Basic Workflow

  1. brainstorming - Activates before writing code. Refines rough ideas through questions, explores alternatives, presents design in sections for validation. Saves design document.

  2. using-git-worktrees - Activates after design approval. Creates isolated workspace on new branch, runs project setup, verifies clean test baseline.

  3. writing-plans - Activates with approved design. Breaks work into bite-sized tasks (2-5 minutes each). Every task has exact file paths, complete code, verification steps.

  4. subagent-driven-development or executing-plans - Activates with plan. Dispatches fresh subagent per task with two-stage review (spec compliance, then code quality), or executes in batches with human checkpoints.

  5. test-driven-development - Activates during implementation. Enforces RED-GREEN-REFACTOR: write failing test, watch it fail, write minimal code, watch it pass, commit. Deletes code written before tests.

  6. requesting-code-review - Activates between tasks. Reviews against plan, reports issues by severity. Critical issues block progress.

  7. finishing-a-development-branch - Activates when tasks complete. Verifies tests, presents options (merge/PR/keep/discard), cleans up worktree.

The agent checks for relevant skills before any task. Mandatory workflows, not suggestions.

What's Inside

Skills Library

Testing

  • test-driven-development - RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle (includes testing anti-patterns reference)

Debugging

  • systematic-debugging - 4-phase root cause process (includes root-cause-tracing, defense-in-depth, condition-based-waiting techniques)
  • verification-before-completion - Ensure it's actually fixed

Collaboration

  • brainstorming - Socratic design refinement
  • writing-plans - Detailed implementation plans
  • executing-plans - Batch execution with checkpoints
  • dispatching-parallel-agents - Concurrent subagent workflows
  • requesting-code-review - Pre-review checklist
  • receiving-code-review - Responding to feedback
  • using-git-worktrees - Parallel development branches
  • finishing-a-development-branch - Merge/PR decision workflow
  • subagent-driven-development - Fast iteration with two-stage review (spec compliance, then code quality)

Meta

  • writing-skills - Create new skills following best practices (includes testing methodology)
  • using-superpowers - Introduction to the skills system

Philosophy

  • Test-Driven Development - Write tests first, always
  • Systematic over ad-hoc - Process over guessing
  • Complexity reduction - Simplicity as primary goal
  • Evidence over claims - Verify before declaring success

Read the original release announcement.

Contributing

The general contribution process for Superpowers is below. Keep in mind that we don't generally accept contributions of new skills and that any updates to skills must work across all of the coding agents we support.

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Switch to the 'dev' branch
  3. Create a branch for your work
  4. Follow the writing-skills skill for creating and testing new and modified skills
  5. Submit a PR, being sure to fill in the pull request template.

Skill-behavior tests use the drill eval harness from superpowers-evals, cloned into evals/ — see evals/README.md for setup. Plugin-infrastructure tests live at tests/ and run via the relevant run-*.sh or npm test.

See skills/writing-skills/SKILL.md for the complete guide.

Updating

Superpowers updates are somewhat coding-agent dependent, but are often automatic.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Visual companion telemetry

Because skills and plugins don't provide any feedback to creators, we have no idea how many of you are using Superpowers. By default, the Prime Radiant logo on brainstorming's optional visual companion feature is loaded from our website. It includes the version of Superpowers in use. It does not include any details about your project, prompt, or coding agent. We don't see your clicks or anything about what you're building. This helps us have a rough idea of how many folks are using Superpowers and which version of Superpowers they're using. It's 100% optional. To disable this, set the environment variable SUPERPOWERS_DISABLE_TELEMETRY to any true value. Superpowers also honors Claude Code's DISABLE_TELEMETRY and CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC opt-outs.

Community

Superpowers is built by Jesse Vincent and the rest of the folks at Prime Radiant.

View source on GitHub

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