Verification Before Completion

Overview

Sniper validates CODE QUALITY. Verification validates FUNCTIONAL RESOLUTION. Both are needed before closing any task.

Sniper catches linter errors, SOLID violations, and code style issues. Verification ensures the original request is actually fulfilled -- the right behavior, the right output, the right fix. A task can pass sniper with zero errors and still be functionally wrong.

Aspect	Sniper	Verification
Focus	Code quality	Functional correctness
Checks	Linting, SOLID, style	Acceptance criteria, regressions, side effects
Runs	After any code change	Before marking task as complete
Result	Clean code	Solved problem

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Agent Workflow

When invoked, follow the 6-step verification process below before marking any task as completed.

6-Step Verification Process

Step 1: Re-read the original request Go back to the original issue, task description, or user message. Read it word by word. Do not rely on memory or assumptions.

Step 2: List ALL acceptance criteria Extract every explicit and implicit requirement from the original request. Number them. If the request is vague, list what a reasonable user would expect.

Step 3: Verify each criterion with evidence For each criterion, provide concrete evidence of resolution:

• Test output showing the expected behavior
• Log output confirming the fix
• Screenshot of the UI change
• Code diff showing the implementation

Step 4: Check for regressions Run the full test suite. Compare results before and after. No new failures, no new warnings.

Step 5: Check for side effects Review every modified file. Confirm no accidental changes to unrelated code. Verify dependencies and configuration are unchanged unless required.

Step 6: Confirm functional resolution State explicitly: "Original problem is FUNCTIONALLY resolved" with a summary of evidence, or list what remains unresolved.

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Reference Guide

Resource	Path	Content
Checklist	references/checklist.md	Full verification checklist with all categories
Common Misses	references/common-misses.md	Frequently forgotten verification items

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Integration with APEX

Verification runs between eLicit and eXamine in the APEX workflow:

Analyze -> Plan -> Execute -> eLicit -> [VERIFICATION] -> eXamine (sniper)

This ensures functional correctness is confirmed before code quality validation. A task is only complete when both verification and sniper pass.

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Critical Rules

Rule	Reason
Never skip re-reading the original request	Prevents solving the wrong problem
Evidence required for every criterion	"It works" is not evidence
Full test suite, not just new tests	Catches regressions
Review ALL modified files	Catches accidental side effects
Both verification AND sniper must pass	Quality without correctness is useless