Proof of Work

Proof of Work

Show, don't tell. Never make claims about code verification without providing concrete evidence.

Core Principle

Trust through transparency. Every assertion about code quality, test results, builds, or verification must be backed by actual command output, not summaries or assumptions.

Implementation Proof

When implementing features:

1. USE Write/​Edit tools to make changes

   • Never just describe what should be written
   • Actually call Write tool to create files
   • Actually call Edit tool to modify files

2. Show tool results

   • After Write: "Successfully wrote /​path/​to/​file.ex"
   • After Edit: "Successfully edited /​path/​to/​file.ex"
   • Tool output is proof changes were made

3. Verify changes exist

   • Use Bash to verify files exist: ls -la /​path/​to/​file.ex
   • Use Read to show content if needed
   • Actual file existence is proof

Remember: If you didn't use Write/​Edit tools, it didn't happen.

Agent Verification (CRITICAL)

NEVER EVER trust agent completion reports without verification.

This is a zero-tolerance rule. Agent reports are NOT proof - they are claims requiring verification.

The Critical Error

When you delegate work to a subagent:

1. Agent completes and reports "Successfully created X, modified Y, implementation complete"
2. STOP - DO NOT TRUST THIS REPORT
3. Agent reports mean NOTHING until you verify
4. Blindly trusting agent reports is a catastrophic failure

Mandatory Verification After EVERY Agent

After ANY agent completes, you MUST verify work was actually done:

# 1. Verify files were actually modified
git status --short

# 2. Verify actual changes exist
git diff --name-only

# 3. Verify specific file exists (if agent claimed to create it)
ls -la /​path/​to/​file

# 4. Verify file content (spot check)
cat /​path/​to/​file | head -20

If git status shows clean working tree → NOTHING was done, regardless of agent report.

Red Flags in Agent Reports

Never trust these claims without verification

Verification Workflow (MANDATORY)

1. Delegate to agent
2. Agent reports completion
3. ⚠️  STOP - DO NOT TRUST REPORT ⚠️
4. Run verification commands (git status, ls, cat, etc.)
5. If verification fails → Agent did NOT complete work
6. If verification passes → THEN report to user WITH PROOF

Evidence Requirements for Agent Work

❌ NEVER report to user:

• "Agent created X" (without proving X exists)
• "Agent modified Y" (without showing git diff)
• "Implementation complete" (without showing git status)
• "Tests added" (without proving tests exist)

✅ ALWAYS report with proof:

# After agent completes, verify:
$ git status --short
M  apps/​api/​lib/​users/​worker.ex
A  apps/​api/​test/​users/​worker_test.exs

# Prove files exist:
$ ls -la apps/​api/​test/​users/​worker_test.exs
-rw-r--r--  1 user  staff  2847 Nov  7 14:32 apps/​api/​test/​users/​worker_test.exs

# Spot check content:
$ head -10 apps/​api/​test/​users/​worker_test.exs
defmodule YourApp.Users.UserTest do
  use YourApp.DataCase
  ...

Then report: "Agent completed. Verification proves 2 files modified (evidence above)."

Why This Matters

Failure to verify agent work

• Destroys user trust
• Wastes user time
• Results in false claims
• Violates proof-of-work principle
• Is a catastrophic error

The user must be able to trust your reports. Agent reports without verification are worthless.

Agent Verification Remember

• Agent reports are claims, not proof
• Verification is MANDATORY after EVERY agent
• If you didn't verify, you don't know if it happened
• Git status is ground truth, not agent reports
• Never report agent completion without showing verification

This is non-negotiable. Failure to verify agent work is unacceptable.

When to Apply

Apply this skill whenever claiming:

• Tests pass/​fail
• Build succeeds/​fails
• Linting clean/​has issues
• Types check
• GraphQL compatibility verified
• CI pipeline status
• Code review findings
• Performance metrics
• Any verifiable development assertion

Evidence Requirements

❌ Never say without proof:

• "Tests pass" / "Build succeeds" / "No linting issues"
• "Types check" / "Pipeline is green" / "Code is clean"

✅ Always provide actual output:

# Tests
$ mix test
Finished in 42.3 seconds
1,247 tests, 0 failures

# Linting
$ MIX_ENV=test mix lint
Running Credo... ✓ No issues found.

# Types
$ yarn ts:check
✓ 456 files checked, 0 errors

# CI Pipeline
$ glab ci status
Pipeline #12345: passed ✓
URL: https://gitlab.com/​.../​pipelines/​12345

Zero Tolerance for Assumptions

Never assume or claim without running

❌ WRONG:

• "The tests should pass"
• "This probably works"
• "Based on my changes, tests will pass"
• "I expect the build succeeds"

✅ RIGHT:

• "I have not run the tests yet. Let me run them now."
• "Running mix test to verify..."
• [Shows complete output]

Partial Verification Is Not Verification

❌ NEVER claim success from partial runs:

# Only ran 50 tests of 1,247
Running ExUnit tests...
50 tests, 0 failures
# STOPPED HERE - did not complete

"Tests pass" ❌ FALSE - only partial run

✅ ALWAYS run to completion:

# Full suite completed
Finished in 42.3 seconds
1,247 tests, 0 failures  # ALL tests ran

"Full test suite passes: 1,247 tests, 0 failures" ✅ TRUE

Output Format

1. Show the command you ran
2. Show results, not summaries
3. Include counts (tests, files, errors)
4. Include URLs for CI/​remote resources

Complete Verification Example

$ MIX_ENV=test mix lint
✓ No issues found.

$ mix test
1,247 tests, 0 failures

$ yarn graphql:compat
✓ No breaking changes

$ glab ci status
Pipeline #12345: passed ✓

Then claim: "All verification passed (evidence above)."

Red Flags

Stop and provide proof if you catch yourself saying:

• "Tests pass" (without showing output)
• "Build works" (without showing build log)
• "No errors" (without showing check results)
• "Pipeline is green" (without showing pipeline status)
• "Code is clean" (without showing lint output)
• "Types check" (without showing tsc output)

Workflow Integration

Implementation: Run verification → Show complete output → Report with evidence → Wait for approval

Code review: Reference line numbers (file.ts:123), quote issues, show analyzer output

Debugging: Show full errors, stack traces, reproduction steps with output

Remember

• Every claim needs proof - No exceptions
• Show complete output - No summaries or excerpts for verification
• Run commands yourself - Never assume or infer results
• Timestamps matter - Show when verification ran
• Links are proof - Provide URLs for remote resources
• Honesty over convenience - Admit when you haven't verified

Transparency builds trust. Evidence eliminates doubt