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.
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Verification Before Completion
## Overview
**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 |
…
The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20260724.3be5aad, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
A 17 of 17 checks passed. Fixed automatic checks with no AI involved, so the same checks give the same answer every run.
pass: Frontmatter block present
pass: Frontmatter declares a name
pass: Frontmatter declares a description
pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (3646 bytes)
pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
pass: No credential-shaped string
pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
pass: No text hidden with inline styles
pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
pass: No link to a raw IP address
pass: No script tag
Source
GitHub
obra/superpowers · 302,424 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-10-20 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_vi6moqjzvrohddi5
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=obra/superpowers/verification-before-completion
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/2befe7fc55bcadaa3d97dd9e8efeb633d2561c0ebe74c5a8b17c4d9e7e4520b3
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
obra/superpowers · skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md · You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, modifying…
obra/superpowers · skills/diagnosing-superpowers/SKILL.md · Use when a superpowers session went wrong and your human partner wants to know why — repeated work, ignored plans…
obra/superpowers · skills/dispatching-parallel-agents/SKILL.md · Use when facing 2+ independent tasks that can be worked on without shared state or sequential dependencies
obra/superpowers · skills/executing-plans/SKILL.md · Use when executing an implementation plan in the current session as the implementer yourself — your human partner chose…
obra/superpowers · skills/finishing-a-development-branch/SKILL.md · Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work
obra/superpowers · skills/receiving-code-review/SKILL.md · Use when receiving code review feedback, before implementing suggestions, especially if feedback seems unclear or…
obra/superpowers · skills/requesting-code-review/SKILL.md · Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging to verify work meets requirements
obra/superpowers · skills/using-git-worktrees/SKILL.md · Use when starting feature work that needs isolation from current workspace or before executing implementation plans -…
mvschwarz/openrig · packages/daemon/specs/agents/shared/skills/process/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md · Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running…
mvschwarz/openrig · skills/_canonical/process/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md · Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running…
a5c-ai/babysitter · library/methodologies/superpowers/skills/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md · Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs. Evidence before…
a5c-ai/babysitter · library/methodologies/cc10x/skills/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md · Evidence requirement enforcement ensuring all claims are backed by logs, test results, or exit codes. Zero = success…
ganyuanran/aegis · skills/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md · Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, passing, verified, release-ready, or ready to commit, merge, publish…
coco-research/coco · skills/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md · Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running…
xu123-bob/baize · agent/skills/superpowers/5.1.0/skills/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md · Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running…
