Scope Creep Guard
lennney/stop-that-shit
Keeps an agent focused on the requested work by applying a five-step ladder that checks for direct solutions, real gaps and speculative defenses before adding anything.
Has the agent build, test and lint a change, re-read the request and check for regressions before it says a coding task is done, then report exactly what it ran.
Install Verification Before Completion
$ npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install duckbugio/flock verification-before-completion --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckbugio/flock.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/core/skills/verification-before-completion .claude/skills/verification-before-completion && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "verification-before-completion" agent skill from https://github.com/duckbugio/flock/tree/main/core/skills/verification-before-completion into .claude/skills/verification-before-completion/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "verification-before-completion", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/duckbugio/flock/tree/main/core/skills/verification-before-completionType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install duckbugio/flock verification-before-completion --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckbugio/flock.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/core/skills/verification-before-completion .agents/skills/verification-before-completion && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "verification-before-completion" agent skill from https://github.com/duckbugio/flock/tree/main/core/skills/verification-before-completion into .agents/skills/verification-before-completion/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "verification-before-completion", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install duckbugio/flock verification-before-completion --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckbugio/flock.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/core/skills/verification-before-completion .cursor/skills/verification-before-completion && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "verification-before-completion" agent skill from https://github.com/duckbugio/flock/tree/main/core/skills/verification-before-completion into .cursor/skills/verification-before-completion/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "verification-before-completion", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/duckbugio/flock.git --path core/skills/verification-before-completion--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install duckbugio/flock verification-before-completion --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckbugio/flock.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/core/skills/verification-before-completion .gemini/skills/verification-before-completion && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "verification-before-completion" agent skill from https://github.com/duckbugio/flock/tree/main/core/skills/verification-before-completion into .gemini/skills/verification-before-completion/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "verification-before-completion", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install duckbugio/flock verification-before-completionInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckbugio/flock.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/core/skills/verification-before-completion .github/skills/verification-before-completion && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "verification-before-completion" agent skill from https://github.com/duckbugio/flock/tree/main/core/skills/verification-before-completion into .github/skills/verification-before-completion/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "verification-before-completion", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install duckbugio/flock verification-before-completion --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/duckbugio/flock.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/core/skills/verification-before-completion .opencode/skills/verification-before-completion && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "verification-before-completion" agent skill from https://github.com/duckbugio/flock/tree/main/core/skills/verification-before-completion into .opencode/skills/verification-before-completion/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "verification-before-completion", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
verification-before-completion- GitHub stars
- 502
- Token cost
- ~432 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 241 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 2
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Has the agent build, test and lint a change, re-read the request and check for regressions before it says a coding task is done, then report exactly what it ran.
- Works in 5 steps: Build / compile what you changed. If it… → Run the relevant tests with the… → Run the linter/formatter the project… → …
- About to tell the user a bug fix or feature is finished
- SKILL.md covers Checklist (do it, don't… and Reporting
- Calls go and npm
What it does
Before the agent reports a coding task as finished, fixed or working, this skill makes it gather evidence. The checklist covers building what changed, running the project's own test command (the narrowest command covering the change first, then the fuller suite if that is cheap), and running the project's linter or formatter. Where the changed area has no test and the change is not trivial, the agent adds one.
It also asks the agent to re-read the original request and confirm that every part is addressed, including edge cases and error paths, and to look for broken callers, contracts or neighbouring features. The final report has to name the commands that were run and their results rather than say 'should work', and any failure or unverified part must be stated plainly. A failing test is fixed before the task is called done.
When your agent uses it
- About to tell the user a bug fix or feature is finished
- Wrapping up a change that touched several files or callers
- Before opening a pull request for a change the agent wrote
Example prompts
- “Fix the null pointer in the order handler, and don't say it's done until you've verified it.”
- “Before you wrap up, run the tests and the linter and tell me exactly what passed.”
- “Double-check that the new pagination change didn't break any callers.”
Requirements
- A project with build, test or lint commands the agent can run
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Build / compile what you changed. If it doesn't build, it isn't done.
- Run the relevant tests with the project's own command (a Taskfile/
- Run the linter/formatter the project uses and fix what it flags.
- Re-read the request and confirm EVERY part is addressed — not just the
- Look for regressions — did the change break a caller, a contract, a test,
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 6d88d7f. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
gonpm
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Verification Before Completion loads about 432 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 69 tokens; SKILL.md has 241 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from duckbugio/flock at commit 6d88d7f, republished under its MIT licence (© duckbugio). 241 words, ~432 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- verification-before-completion
- description
- Before telling the user a coding task is done, actually verify it — build, run the relevant tests/linter, and confirm the change does what was asked with no regressions. Use whenever you are about to claim a change is finished, fixed, or working.
Verify before you claim it's done
Saying "done" without checking is the most common way an agent ships a broken change. Before you report a coding task as finished, fixed, or working, VERIFY it — do not assume.
Checklist (do it, don't narrate it)
- Build / compile what you changed. If it doesn't build, it isn't done.
- Run the relevant tests with the project's own command (a
Taskfile/Makefiletarget,go test,npm test, …). Run the narrowest command that covers your change first, then the fuller suite if it's cheap. If the area you changed has no test and the change is non-trivial, add one. - Run the linter/formatter the project uses and fix what it flags.
- Re-read the request and confirm EVERY part is addressed — not just the easy part. Check the edge cases and error paths you touched.
- Look for regressions — did the change break a caller, a contract, a test, or a neighbouring feature?
Reporting
- Report what you actually ran and its result ("
go test ./...green,task lint0 issues"), never "should work". - If something failed, or you could not verify a part, SAY SO plainly — never paper over a failure or a skipped step.
- If a test fails, fix the code (or the test, if the test was wrong) before claiming done — don't hand back a red build.
A task is "done" only when you have evidence it works, not when the code looks right.
© duckbugio, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in core/skills/verification-before-completion of duckbugio/flock.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 6d88d7f
Compare with similar skills
Verification Before Completion next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verification Before Completion this skillduckbugio/flock | 502 | — | ~432 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Scope Creep Guardlennney/stop-that-shit | 2.5k | 1 repos | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Validate Agent Workkryptamine/herdr-auto-title | 237 | — | ~605 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Post-Feature Reviewjsmastery-pro/jsm-agent-skill | 218 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| PUA Looptanweai/pua | 20k | 1 repos | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Harness Engineering GuideOdradekAI/harness-engineering-guide | 125 | 1 repos | ~4.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
Similar skills
Validate Agent Work
kryptamine/herdr-auto-title
Final checklist before handing work back in the herdr-auto-title repo: review the diff, run make check, apply the comment and AGENTS.md rules, then report.
Post-Feature Review
jsmastery-pro/jsm-agent-skill
Compares a finished feature with its plan, the project's architecture and design rules, and production-readiness checks, then reports issues without fixing them.
PUA Loop
tanweai/pua
Runs an unattended iterate-until-verified loop in which a user-set verify command, not the agent's own claim, decides when the task is finished.
Harness Engineering Guide
OdradekAI/harness-engineering-guide
Audit, design, and implement AI agent harnesses for any codebase.
Incremental Implementation
addyosmani/agent-skills
Delivers a change in thin vertical slices, each implemented, tested, verified and committed before the next, using vertical, contract-first or risk-first slicing.
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Related
Categories
Questions about Verification Before Completion
What does Verification Before Completion do?
Has the agent build, test and lint a change, re-read the request and check for regressions before it says a coding task is done, then report exactly what it ran. Before the agent reports a coding task as finished, fixed or working, this skill makes it gather evidence. The checklist covers building what changed, running the project's own test command (the narrowest command covering the change first, then the fuller suite if that is cheap), and running the project's linter or formatter.
When should I use Verification Before Completion?
Verification Before Completion fits situations like: about to tell the user a bug fix or feature is finished; wrapping up a change that touched several files or callers; before opening a pull request for a change the agent wrote.
How do I install Verification Before Completion in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (core/skills/verification-before-completion in duckbugio/flock) into .claude/skills/verification-before-completion in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Verification Before Completion in Codex?
Run `npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (core/skills/verification-before-completion in duckbugio/flock) into .agents/skills/verification-before-completion in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Verification Before Completion in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add duckbugio/flock --skill verification-before-completion -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/verification-before-completion, .gemini/skills/verification-before-completion, .github/skills/verification-before-completion and .opencode/skills/verification-before-completion in your project.
What does Verification Before Completion need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Verification Before Completion needs the command-line tools its instructions call (go and npm). Our summary lists: A project with build, test or lint commands the agent can run.
Does Verification Before Completion access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Verification Before Completion safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Verification Before Completion use?
Verification Before Completion is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Verification Before Completion use?
About 432 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 1.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Verification Before Completion?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Verification Before Completion: Scope Creep Guard (lennney/stop-that-shit, 2.5k stars), Validate Agent Work (kryptamine/herdr-auto-title, 237 stars), Post-Feature Review (jsmastery-pro/jsm-agent-skill, 218 stars) and PUA Loop (tanweai/pua, 20k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Verification Before Completion?
duckbugio (a GitHub organization) maintains it in duckbugio/flock, which has 502 GitHub stars. The repository holds 2 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.
Source: duckbugio/flock on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.