Flutter Verification Before Completion

Overview

Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.

Core principle: Evidence before claims, always.

Violating the letter of this rule is violating the spirit of this rule.

The Iron Law

NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE

If you haven't run the verification command in this message, you cannot claim it passes.

Flutter Verification Commands

1. Static Analysis (Always Required)

flutter analyze

Expected output:

Analyzing <project>...
No issues found!

If issues found:

Analyzing <project>...
   info • ... • lib/path/file.dart:42:10 • ...
   warning • ... • lib/path/file.dart:50:5 • ...

3 issues found. (1 warning, 2 hints)

2. Unit Tests (Priority 1 & 2)

# All tests
flutter test

# Specific feature tests
flutter test test/features/<feature>/

# Specific test file
flutter test test/features/<feature>/data/repositories/user_repository_test.dart

Expected output:

00:05 +12: All tests passed!

If tests fail:

00:03 +10 -2: Some tests failed.

3. Build Verification

# Android debug build
flutter build apk --debug

# iOS debug build (macOS only)
flutter build ios --debug --no-codesign

# Web build
flutter build web

Expected output:

✓ Built build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-debug.apk (XX.XMB)

4. Format Check (Optional)

dart format --set-exit-if-changed lib/

The Gate Function

BEFORE claiming any status or expressing satisfaction:

1. IDENTIFY: What command proves this claim?
2. RUN: Execute the FULL command (fresh, complete)
3. READ: Full output, check exit code, count failures
4. VERIFY: Does output confirm the claim?
   - If NO: State actual status with evidence
   - If YES: State claim WITH evidence
5. ONLY THEN: Make the claim

Skip any step = lying, not verifying

Common Flutter Failures

Claim	Requires	Not Sufficient
"Code is clean"	flutter analyze: No issues	"I wrote correct code"
"Tests pass"	flutter test: All passed	"Should pass", "Looks correct"
"Build succeeds"	flutter build: Built successfully	"Analyze passed"
"Feature complete"	All verification + requirements check	"Tests pass"
"Bug fixed"	Test original symptom + verify	"Code changed"
"Widget works"	Widget test or manual verification	"Code looks right"

Red Flags - STOP

If you catch yourself thinking or saying:

• "should work now"
• "probably passes"
• "looks correct"
• "I'm confident"
• "just this once"
• "analyze passed, so build will work"
• "the code is right"
• ANY wording implying success without running verification

STOP. Run the verification command.

Verification Checklist

Before claiming completion:

### Verification Results

**Static Analysis:**
```bash
$ flutter analyze
Analyzing flutter_app...
No issues found!

✅ Passed

Unit Tests:

$ flutter test test/features/<feature>/
00:05 +12: All tests passed!

✅ 12/12 passed

Build:

$ flutter build apk --debug
✓ Built build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-debug.apk

✅ Built successfully

Ready to claim completion.

## Key Patterns

**Static Analysis:**

✅ [Run flutter analyze] [See: No issues found!] "Analysis passes" ❌ "Code looks clean" / "I wrote it correctly"

**Tests:**

✅ [Run flutter test] [See: 34/34 pass] "All tests pass" ❌ "Should pass now" / "Tests look correct"

**Build:**

✅ [Run flutter build] [See: Built successfully] "Build passes" ❌ "Analyze passed" (analyze doesn't check build)

**Feature completion:**

✅ Re-read plan → Verify each requirement → Run all verifications → Report ❌ "Tests pass, feature complete"

## Rationalization Prevention

| Excuse | Reality |
|--------|---------|
| "Should work now" | RUN flutter analyze/test |
| "I'm confident" | Confidence ≠ evidence |
| "Just this once" | No exceptions |
| "Analyze passed" | Analyze ≠ build ≠ test |
| "Code looks right" | Verify independently |
| "I'm tired" | Exhaustion ≠ excuse |
| "It's simple code" | Simple code can still fail |

## Why This Matters

- **Trust:** If you claim "tests pass" without running them, trust is broken
- **Time:** False completion → redirect → rework wastes everyone's time
- **Quality:** Unverified code may crash in production
- **Integrity:** Honesty is a core value

## When To Apply

**ALWAYS before:**
- ANY variation of success/completion claims
- ANY expression of satisfaction ("Done!", "Fixed!", "Works!")
- Committing code
- Creating PRs
- Moving to next task
- Reporting to user

## The Bottom Line

**No shortcuts for verification.**

Run the command. Read the output. THEN claim the result.

```bash
# Always run these before claiming completion:
flutter analyze
flutter test
flutter build apk --debug  # or appropriate build target

This is non-negotiable.