/verify

claudikins-kernel:verify Command

You are orchestrating a verification workflow that ensures code actually works before shipping.

Flags

Flag	Effect
--branch NAME	Verify specific branch (default: current)
--scope SCOPE	test|lint|types|all (default: all)
--skip-simplify	Skip cynic polish pass
--fix-lint	Auto-apply lint fixes
--fast-mode	60-second iteration cycles
--session-id ID	Resume previous session by ID
--timing	Show phase durations for velocity tracking
--list-sessions	Show available sessions for resume
--resume	Resume from last checkpoint
--status	Show current verification status

Merge Strategy

JQ merge - verification outputs are combined with jq -s 'add'.

Philosophy

"Evidence before assertions. Always." - Verification philosophy

• Verification is the gate between claudikins-kernel:execute and claudikins-kernel:ship
• Claude MUST see its code working (not just tests passing)
• Human checkpoint with comprehensive report
• Exit code 2 blocks claudikins-kernel:ship until verification passes
• All Opus models for agents (no compromises on judgement)

State Management

State file: .claude/verify-state.json

{
  "session_id": "verify-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM",
  "execute_session_id": "exec-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM",
  "branch": "execute/task-1-feature",
  "started_at": "ISO timestamp",
  "status": "initialising|verifying|completed|failed",
  "phases": {
    "test_suite": { "status": "pending|PASS|FAIL" },
    "lint": { "status": "pending|PASS|FAIL" },
    "type_check": { "status": "pending|PASS|FAIL" },
    "output_verification": { "status": "pending|PASS|FAIL" },
    "code_simplification": { "status": "pending|PASS|FAIL|skipped" }
  },
  "all_checks_passed": false,
  "human_checkpoint": {
    "prompted_at": null,
    "decision": null,
    "caveats": []
  },
  "unlock_ship": false
}

Phase 0: Initialisation

Flag Handling

Check for flags first:

--status → Display current verification status, exit
--resume → Load checkpoint, resume from saved state
--list-sessions → Show available sessions, exit

Prerequisite Check (via verify-init.sh hook)

The SessionStart hook validates:

1. execute-state.json exists (C-14 cross-command gate)
2. Execute status is "completed"
3. Creates initial verify-state.json
4. Links to execute session for traceability

On validation failure:

ERROR: claudikins-kernel:execute has not been run

You must run claudikins-kernel:execute before claudikins-kernel:verify.
The verification command requires completed execution state.

Run: claudikins-kernel:execute [plan-file]

Project Type Detection

Detect project type automatically:

if package.json exists:
  PROJECT_TYPE = "node"
  TEST_CMD = "npm test"
  LINT_CMD = "npm run lint"
  TYPE_CMD = "npm run typecheck" (if typescript)
elif pyproject.toml or setup.py:
  PROJECT_TYPE = "python"
  TEST_CMD = "pytest"
  LINT_CMD = "ruff check ."
  TYPE_CMD = "mypy ."
elif Cargo.toml:
  PROJECT_TYPE = "rust"
  TEST_CMD = "cargo test"
  LINT_CMD = "cargo clippy"
  TYPE_CMD = "cargo check"
elif go.mod:
  PROJECT_TYPE = "go"
  TEST_CMD = "go test ./..."
  LINT_CMD = "golangci-lint run"
  TYPE_CMD = "go build ./..."
else:
  PROJECT_TYPE = "unknown"
  Ask user for commands

Phase 1: Automated Quality Checks

Run in sequence. STOP on any failure.

Stage 1: Test Suite

# Run tests with timeout
timeout 300 ${TEST_CMD}

On failure:

Tests failed.

[Show test output]

[Fix tests] [Re-run (flaky?)] [Skip tests] [Abort]

Flaky test detection (C-12): If tests fail, offer re-run:

Test failure detected. Could be flaky.

[Re-run tests] [Accept failure] [Abort]

If re-run passes:

Tests passed on retry. Likely flaky.

[Accept with flakiness caveat] [Fix tests] [Abort]

Stage 2: Linting

${LINT_CMD}

On failure with --fix-lint:

Lint issues found. Auto-fix available.

[Apply fixes] [Show issues] [Skip lint] [Abort]

After auto-fix, re-run lint to confirm:

${LINT_CMD}

If still failing after fix:

Auto-fix did not resolve all issues.

Remaining issues:
[Show remaining issues]

[Fix manually] [Skip lint] [Abort]

Stage 3: Type Check

${TYPE_CMD}

On failure:

Type errors found.

[Show errors]

[Fix errors] [Skip type check] [Abort]

Phase 1 Checkpoint

Automated checks complete.

Tests:  ${TEST_STATUS}
Lint:   ${LINT_STATUS}
Types:  ${TYPE_STATUS}

[Continue to Output Verification] [Re-run checks] [Abort]

Phase 2: Output Verification (catastrophiser)

"Give Claude a tool to see the output of the code." - Boris

This is the feedback loop that makes Claude's code actually work.

Spawn catastrophiser

Task(catastrophiser, {
  prompt: `
    Verify the implementation WORKS by SEEING its output.

    Project type: ${PROJECT_TYPE}
    Branch: ${BRANCH}

    Use the appropriate verification method:
    - Web: Start server, screenshot key pages
    - API: Curl endpoints, verify responses
    - CLI: Run commands, check output
    - Library: Run examples, verify results

    Capture evidence. Report any issues clearly.
    Output JSON with status and evidence.
  `,
  context: "fork",
  model: "opus",
});

Verification Method Fallback (A-3)

1. Try primary method (screenshot/curl/run)
   └─ If fails → Try secondary method
2. Try tests-only verification
   └─ If fails → Try CLI verification
3. Try code review only
   └─ If fails → Report inability to verify

Phase 2 Checkpoint

Output verification complete.

Agent: catastrophiser
Status: ${VERIFICATION_STATUS}
Evidence: ${EVIDENCE_COUNT} items

[Show evidence] [Accept] [Debug] [Skip] [Abort]

Phase 3: Code Simplification (Optional)

Prerequisite: Phase 2 (catastrophiser) must PASS

If --skip-simplify flag set:

Skipping code simplification.
Proceeding directly to human checkpoint.

Otherwise, ask:

Run cynic for polish pass?

This will:
- Inline single-use helpers
- Remove dead code
- Improve naming clarity
- Flatten nested conditionals

Tests will be re-run after each change.

[Run polish pass] [Skip] [Abort]

Spawn cynic (if approved)

Task(cynic, {
  prompt: `
    Polish the implementation while preserving behaviour.

    Rules:
    - Tests MUST still pass after each change
    - One change at a time
    - Revert on test failure
    - Stop after 3 passes or 3 consecutive failures

    Output JSON with simplifications made and test status.
  `,
  context: "fork",
  model: "opus",
});

Phase 3 Checkpoint

Code simplification complete.

Changes made: ${CHANGES_COUNT}
Changes reverted: ${REVERTED_COUNT}
Lines removed: ${LINES_REMOVED}
Tests still pass: ${TESTS_PASS}

[Show changes] [Accept] [Revert all] [Abort]

Phase 4: Klaus Escalation (if stuck)

If verification keeps failing (3+ attempts):

Check if Klaus available:

# Check for claudikins-klaus plugin
if mcp__claudikins-klaus available:
  Spawn Klaus for debugging
else:
  [Manual review by human] [Try different approach] [Abort]

Phase 5: Human Checkpoint

Comprehensive verification report:

Verification Report
===================

Session: ${SESSION_ID}
Branch: ${BRANCH}
Execute Session: ${EXECUTE_SESSION_ID}

Phase Results:
  Tests:          ${TEST_STATUS}
  Lint:           ${LINT_STATUS}
  Types:          ${TYPE_STATUS}
  Output:         ${OUTPUT_STATUS}
  Simplification: ${SIMPLIFY_STATUS}

Evidence Summary:
  Screenshots: ${SCREENSHOT_COUNT}
  API responses: ${CURL_COUNT}
  Command outputs: ${CMD_COUNT}

${ISSUES_SUMMARY}

Ready to ship?

[Ready to Ship] [Needs Work] [Accept with Caveats]

Decision Handling

Ready to Ship:

• Set all_checks_passed = true
• Set human_checkpoint.decision = "ready_to_ship"
• verify-gate.sh will set unlock_ship = true

Needs Work:

• Set human_checkpoint.decision = "needs_work"
• Ask: What needs to be fixed?

What needs work?

[Tests failing] [Lint issues] [Type errors] [Output broken] [Code quality] [Other]

• Record issues in human_checkpoint.issues_noted
• Present phase selection:

Where should we return to fix this?

[Phase 1: Re-run automated checks] [Phase 2: Re-verify output] [Phase 3: Run polish pass] [Exit to fix manually]

• If "Exit to fix manually":

  • Save checkpoint with status = "needs_work"
  • Output: "Fix the issues, then run claudikins-kernel:verify --resume to continue"

• Otherwise:

  • Loop back to selected phase
  • Re-run from that point
  • Return to Phase 5 checkpoint when complete

Accept with Caveats:

• Set human_checkpoint.decision = "ready_to_ship"
• Ask: What caveats should be noted?
• Record caveats in state
• verify-gate.sh will set unlock_ship = true

Output

On successful completion:

Done! All checks passed.

Tests ${TEST_ICON}  Lint ${LINT_ICON}  Types ${TYPE_ICON}  App works ${OUTPUT_ICON}

Session: ${SESSION_ID}
Verified at: ${TIMESTAMP}

When you're ready:
  claudikins-kernel:ship

Error Recovery

On any failure:

1. Save checkpoint immediately
2. Log error to .claude/errors/
3. Offer: [Retry] [Skip] [Klaus] [Manual intervention] [Abort]

Never lose work. Always checkpoint before risky operations.

Context Collapse Handling

On PreCompact event:

1. preserve-state.sh saves critical state
2. Mark session as "interrupted" (not abandoned)
3. Resume instructions written to state file
4. On resume, offer: [Continue from checkpoint] [Start fresh]

Resume Handling

On --resume:

1. Load last checkpoint from verify-state.json
2. Display resume point
3. Offer: [Continue from phase X] [Restart verification] [Abort]

Resuming verification

Last checkpoint: ${CHECKPOINT_ID}
Phase: ${PHASE}
Status: ${STATUS}

[Continue] [Restart] [Abort]

Next Stage

When this command completes, ask:

AskUserQuestion({
  question: "Verification passed. What next?",
  header: "Next",
  options: [
    { label: "Load /claudikins-kernel:ship", description: "Ship the verified code" },
    { label: "Stay here", description: "Review output before continuing" },
    { label: "Done for now", description: "End the workflow" }
  ]
})

If user selects "Load /claudikins-kernel:ship", invoke Skill(claudikins-kernel:ship).