Show Me Your Work Decision Log
cursor/plugins
Keeps a TSV decision log for long or unattended agent runs, one row per decision with what, why, evidence and result, so a reviewer can check the work later.
A skill your agent uses when claiming task completion or marking items as done.
Install Verification Before Completion
$ npx skills add MadAppGang/claude-code --skill verification-before-completion -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install MadAppGang/claude-code 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/MadAppGang/claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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/MadAppGang/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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/MadAppGang/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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 MadAppGang/claude-code --skill verification-before-completion -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install MadAppGang/claude-code verification-before-completion --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/MadAppGang/claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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/MadAppGang/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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 MadAppGang/claude-code --skill verification-before-completion -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install MadAppGang/claude-code verification-before-completion --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/MadAppGang/claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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/MadAppGang/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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/MadAppGang/claude-code.git --path plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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 MadAppGang/claude-code --skill verification-before-completion -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install MadAppGang/claude-code 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/MadAppGang/claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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/MadAppGang/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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 MadAppGang/claude-code 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 MadAppGang/claude-code --skill verification-before-completion -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/MadAppGang/claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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/MadAppGang/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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 MadAppGang/claude-code --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 MadAppGang/claude-code verification-before-completion --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/MadAppGang/claude-code.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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/MadAppGang/claude-code/tree/main/plugins/dev/skills/discipline/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
- 285
- Token cost
- ~1.8k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 523 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 69
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
A skill your agent uses when claiming task completion or marking items as done.
- Works in 3 steps: BEFORE changing status to completed,… → IN THE SAME MESSAGE that marks it… → NEVER mark complete in one message, then…
- Claiming task completion
- SKILL.md covers When to Use, Red Flags (Violation Indicators), Key Concepts and Enforcement Mechanism, plus 3 more sections
- Calls git, curl and docker
What it does
Verification Before Completion is an agent skill from MadAppGang/claude-code. Use when claiming task completion or marking items as done. Covers completion evidence requirements, verification methods, and anti-rationalization patterns.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.8k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Verification before completion. The repository describes itself as: claude code plugins marketplace. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Claiming task completion
- Marking items as done
Example prompts
- “/verification-before-completion”
Requirements
- Python 3
- Docker
Workflow steps
3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- BEFORE changing status to completed, gather fresh evidence
- IN THE SAME MESSAGE that marks it complete, show the evidence
- NEVER mark complete in one message, then show evidence later
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 6097ad4. 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:
gitcurldockergobunnpmcargo
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, curl, docker and 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 1.8k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 47 tokens; SKILL.md has 523 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 MadAppGang/claude-code at commit 6097ad4, republished under its MIT licence (© MadAppGang). 523 words, ~1,775 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- verification-before-completion
- description
- Use when claiming task completion or marking items as done. Covers completion evidence requirements, verification methods, and anti-rationalization patterns.
- keywords
- completion, done, working, ready, verification, evidence, test-output, grep-verification, ci-cd, build-logs, git-diff, screenshot, should-work…
- created
- 2026-01-20
- updated
- 2026-01-20
- plugin
- dev
- type
- discipline
- difficulty
- beginner
Verification Before Completion
Iron Law: "NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE"
When to Use
This skill applies whenever you:
- Mark a todo item as complete
- Claim a bug is fixed
- Report a feature is ready
- State implementation is done
- Close a task or issue
- Prepare to commit changes
Red Flags (Violation Indicators)
- "should be done" / "should work now" (assumed completion)
- "probably works" / "likely fixed" (uncertainty without verification)
- "seems to work" / "appears correct" (observation without test)
- "Great!" / "Perfect!" / "All set!" (celebration without evidence)
- "I already tested this earlier" (stale evidence)
- Completion claim without test output shown
- Completion claim without grep verification for file changes
- Completion claim without screenshot for UI changes
- Completion claim without git diff for code changes
- Completion claim without build logs for configuration changes
- Completion claim without CI link for deployment changes
- "Just a small change, no need to verify" (size-based rationalization)
Key Concepts
Fresh Verification Principle
Verification must be fresh (performed after the claimed change) and explicit (evidence shown, not described).
Wrong:
Fixed the login bug in auth.ts. Should be working now.Correct:
Fixed the login bug in auth.ts line 42:
git diff src/auth.ts:
- if (user.token == null) {
+ if (user.token === undefined || user.token === null) {
Test output:
✓ should reject undefined token (15ms)
✓ should reject null token (12ms)
✓ should accept valid token (8ms)Evidence Types by Change Type
| Change Type | Required Evidence | Tool/Method |
|---|---|---|
| Logic/algorithm | Test output showing pass | bun test, pytest, go test |
| File creation | Grep verification or ls output | grep -r "pattern" . or ls -la path/ |
| UI/styling | Screenshot or video | Browser DevTools screenshot |
| Configuration | Build logs showing success | npm run build, cargo build |
| Deployment | CI link or deployment logs | GitHub Actions URL, kubectl logs |
| API changes | API test output or curl result | curl -X POST ... |
| Data migration | Row count or sample query | SELECT COUNT(*) FROM ... |
| Performance fix | Benchmark comparison (before/after) | hyperfine, go test -bench |
Enforcement Mechanism
Tasks Integration
When marking a todo as completed:
- BEFORE changing status to
completed, gather fresh evidence - IN THE SAME MESSAGE that marks it complete, show the evidence
- NEVER mark complete in one message, then show evidence later
Violation Pattern:
Message 1: "Fixed the validator. Marking todo complete."
Message 2: "Here's the test output..."Correct Pattern:
Message 1:
"Fixed the validator. Test output:
✓ should validate email (5ms)
✓ should reject invalid format (3ms)
Marking todo complete."Show full SKILL.md (218 more words)Show less
Rationalization Detection
Common rationalizations and their counters:
| Rationalization | Counter |
|---|---|
| "It's a trivial change" | Trivial = fast to verify, not skip |
| "I tested this before" | Code changed since then, verify again |
| "Same pattern as working code" | Different context = different bugs |
| "Just fixing a typo" | Typos can break builds, verify |
| "Only changed comments" | Comments can break doc generation |
| "Can't test without production data" | Use test fixtures or staging environment |
Examples
Example 1: React Component Fix (TypeScript)
Scenario: Fixed useState initialization bug
Wrong Completion:
Fixed the counter initialization bug. Should be good now!Correct Completion:
Fixed the counter initialization bug in Counter.tsx line 8:
git diff:
- const [count, setCount] = useState();
+ const [count, setCount] = useState<number>(0);
Test output:
PASS src/Counter.test.tsx
Counter component
✓ renders with initial value 0 (23ms)
✓ increments on button click (15ms)
Build check:
✓ Type checking passed (1.2s)
✓ No lint errorsExample 2: Python API Endpoint (FastAPI)
Scenario: Fixed validation error in POST /users
Wrong Completion:
Added email validation to the users endpoint. Tested locally, works fine.Correct Completion:
Added email validation to the users endpoint in api/users.py line 45:
git diff:
@app.post("/users")
def create_user(user: UserCreate):
+ if not re.match(r"[^@]+@[^@]+\.[^@]+", user.email):
+ raise HTTPException(400, "Invalid email format")
return db.create_user(user)
Test output:
test_create_user.py::test_valid_email PASSED
test_create_user.py::test_invalid_email_rejected PASSED
test_create_user.py::test_missing_at_sign PASSED
Manual curl test:
$ curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/users -d '{"email":"invalid"}'
{"detail":"Invalid email format"}Example 3: Go Configuration Change
Scenario: Updated Docker build configuration
Wrong Completion:
Updated the Dockerfile to use Go 1.22. Build should work now.Correct Completion:
Updated the Dockerfile to use Go 1.22:
git diff:
-FROM golang:1.21-alpine
+FROM golang:1.22-alpine
Build verification:
$ docker build -t myapp:test .
[+] Building 45.3s (12/12) FINISHED
=> [internal] load build definition from Dockerfile
=> => transferring dockerfile: 234B
=> [1/6] FROM golang:1.22-alpine
=> [2/6] WORKDIR /app
=> [3/6] COPY go.mod go.sum ./
=> [4/6] RUN go mod download
=> [5/6] COPY . .
=> [6/6] RUN go build -o /app/server
=> exporting to image
=> => writing image sha256:abc123...
Run verification:
$ docker run myapp:test --version
v1.0.0 (go1.22.0)Integration with Other Skills
- test-driven-development: TDD provides the tests you'll use as verification evidence
- systematic-debugging: Debug process ends with fix verification (this skill)
- agent-coordination-discipline: Agents must return verification evidence, not just claims
- quality-gates: Quality gate checks are verification evidence types
Quick Reference
Before marking ANY task complete:
- ✅ Run relevant tests → capture output
- ✅ Check file changes → show git diff or grep
- ✅ Verify build → show build logs
- ✅ For UI changes → take screenshot
- ✅ For deployments → link CI run
- ✅ Show evidence in completion message
- ✅ Only then mark todo as completed
Remember: If you can't show fresh evidence, the task isn't complete yet.
© MadAppGang, 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 plugins/dev/skills/discipline/verification-before-completion of MadAppGang/claude-code.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 6097ad4
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 skillMadAppGang/claude-code | 285 | — | ~1.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Show Me Your Work Decision Logcursor/plugins | 10k | 8 repos | ~1.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Scope Creep Guardlennney/stop-that-shit | 2.5k | 1 repos | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Verification Before Completionfarm-fe/farm | 5.6k | 46 repos | ~1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| PUA High-Agency Governancetanweai/pua | 20k | — | ~502 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Incremental Implementationaddyosmani/agent-skills | 103k | 1 repos | ~2.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
Similar skills
- Official
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.
Verification Before Completion
farm-fe/farm
A skill your agent uses 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…
PUA High-Agency Governance
tanweai/pua
Pushes an agent to keep verifying and changing approach after repeated failures, using a diagnosis line, evidence-based completion and confirmation before risky edits.
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.
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.
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Categories
Questions about Verification Before Completion
What does Verification Before Completion do?
A skill your agent uses when claiming task completion or marking items as done. Verification Before Completion is an agent skill from MadAppGang/claude-code. Use when claiming task completion or marking items as done.
When should I use Verification Before Completion?
Verification Before Completion fits situations like: claiming task completion; marking items as done.
How do I install Verification Before Completion in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add MadAppGang/claude-code --skill verification-before-completion -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/dev/skills/discipline/verification-before-completion in MadAppGang/claude-code) 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 MadAppGang/claude-code --skill verification-before-completion -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/dev/skills/discipline/verification-before-completion in MadAppGang/claude-code) 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 MadAppGang/claude-code --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 (git, curl, docker, go, bun and npm). Our summary lists: Python 3; Docker.
Does Verification Before Completion access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, curl, docker and 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 1.8k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.1k 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: Show Me Your Work Decision Log (cursor/plugins, 10k stars), Scope Creep Guard (lennney/stop-that-shit, 2.5k stars), Verification Before Completion (farm-fe/farm, 5.6k stars) and PUA High-Agency Governance (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?
MadAppGang (a GitHub organization) maintains it in MadAppGang/claude-code, which has 285 GitHub stars. The repository holds 69 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on March 15, 2026.
Source: MadAppGang/claude-code on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.