verify

ADD Verify Skill v0.11.0

Execute quality gates to verify code meets production standards. This skill runs automated checks and produces a structured pass/fail report.

<!-- cache-discipline: non-dispatching skill — no STABLE/VOLATILE markers required per rules/cache-discipline.md. Invoked AS a sub-agent by /add:tdd-cycle, which owns the cache-aware prompt layout. -->

Overview

The Verify skill is the final checkpoint before deployment. It runs a sequence of quality gates determined by context and provides clear go/no-go status for each gate. Output is a structured report with pass/fail status and next steps.

The five-gate system ensures code quality at every stage:

1. Gate 1 (Local): Lint & code formatting
2. Gate 2 (Local): Type checking (if applicable)
3. Gate 3 (CI): Unit tests & coverage
4. Gate 4 (Deploy): Spec compliance & integration tests
5. Gate 5 (Smoke): Post-deploy health checks

All gate results are reported using the shared formats in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/verify-report.md — one per-gate format, the maturity-scaled sections, and the overall report.

Pre-Flight Checks

1. Read .add/config.json

   • Load gate definitions: which commands to run, thresholds
   • Load ci.gates array (ordered list of gates)
   • Load test.minCoverage threshold (default 80%)
   • Load code.lint configuration
   • Load code.types configuration
   • Load environment tier settings
   • A configuration example lives in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/verify-report.md

2. Count active rules for maturity level

   • Read maturity level from .add/config.json (default: alpha)
   • Scan all files in rules/ directory
   • For each rule file, read the YAML frontmatter maturity: field
   • Count rules where the maturity field is at or below the current level
     • Maturity hierarchy: poc < alpha < beta < ga
     • A rule with maturity: poc is active at all levels
     • A rule with maturity: beta is active at beta and ga only
   • Include in report header: "{N} rules active at {maturity} level"

3. Determine execution level

   • Use --level flag or infer from environment
   • If not specified, default to 'local'
   • Levels control which gates run:
     • local: Gates 1-2 (lint, types) for development
     • ci: Gates 1-3 (+ unit tests) for continuous integration
     • deploy: Gates 1-4 (+ spec compliance) for production deploy
     • smoke: Gate 5 only (post-deploy health check)

4. Verify required files exist

   • Test files exist (unless smoke level)
   • Implementation files exist
   • Config files exist (package.json, tsconfig.json, etc.)
   • CI/deployment scripts available

5. Check environment

   • Verify tools are installed (eslint, tsc, jest, pytest, etc.)
   • Check Node/Python version if applicable
   • Verify dependencies are installed

6. Check for session handoff — per the Session-Handoff Preflight in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/skill-epilogue.md

Execution Steps

Gate 1: Lint & Code Formatting

Purpose: Ensure code follows style conventions and has no obvious issues.

Steps:

1. Detect linter(s) from config or package.json

   • JavaScript/TypeScript: eslint, prettier, biome
   • Python: black, flake8, pylint
   • Go: gofmt, golangci-lint
   • etc.

2. Run linter(s)

   # JavaScript
   npx eslint --max-warnings 0 src/ tests/
   
   # Python
   python -m flake8 src/ tests/ --max-line-length 100
   
   # Go
   gofmt -w ./...
   golangci-lint run ./...
   

3. Capture output — count errors and warnings, list problematic files

4. Handle --fix flag

   • If --fix provided, auto-fix formatting issues
   • Re-run linter to verify fixes
   • Report what was fixed

5. Pass/Fail

   • PASS: 0 errors, 0 warnings (or configured threshold)
   • FAIL: Any errors or warnings
   • WARN: Warnings only (configurable as pass/fail)

Gate 2: Type Checking

Purpose: Catch type errors and ensure type safety.

Steps:

1. Detect type checker(s) — TypeScript (tsc --noEmit), Flow, MyPy, etc.

2. Run type checker

   # TypeScript
   npx tsc --noEmit --strict
   
   # Python with MyPy
   python -m mypy src/ --strict
   

3. Capture output — count type errors, list files with issues

4. Pass/Fail

   • PASS: 0 type errors
   • FAIL: Any type errors
   • SKIP: Not applicable for untyped languages

Gate 3: Unit Tests & Coverage

Purpose: Verify all tests pass and code coverage meets threshold.

Steps:

1. Run test suite

   # JavaScript
   npm test -- --coverage --silent
   
   # Python
   python -m pytest --cov=src --cov-report=term-summary tests/
   

2. Parse test output — tests run/passed/failed, timing

3. Parse coverage output — line, branch, and function coverage % vs. the minCoverage threshold

4. Identify coverage gaps (if below threshold) — which files, lines, and branches are uncovered

5. Pass/Fail criteria

   • PASS: All tests pass AND coverage >= threshold
   • FAIL: Any test fails OR coverage < threshold
   • WARN: Tests pass but coverage marginally below (90% of threshold)

Gate 3.5: Test Surface Integrity (Test-Deletion Guardrail)

Purpose: Enforce the TDD anti-deletion invariant — tests added during RED must exist (passing) at end of GREEN. Without this gate, Gate 3 passes even if the implementer silently deleted failing tests to reach green.

When it runs: After Gate 3 (tests pass), before Gate 4 (spec compliance). Only applicable when running within a TDD cycle context (i.e. .add/cycles/cycle-{N}/ snapshots exist). For standalone /add:verify runs, the gate is SKIPPED with an advisory note.

Steps:

1. Locate snapshots

   • Determine the current cycle id (from /add:cycle context or the most recent .add/cycles/cycle-*/ directory)
   • Determine the spec slug (from the cycle's spec argument)
   • Expected paths:
     • .add/cycles/cycle-{N}/tdd-{slug}-red.json
     • .add/cycles/cycle-{N}/tdd-{slug}-green.json

2. Run the gate script

   python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/../../scripts/check-test-count.py gate \
     --red .add/cycles/cycle-{N}/tdd-{slug}-red.json \
     --green .add/cycles/cycle-{N}/tdd-{slug}-green.json \
     --project-root .
   

   For standalone runs (no RED/GREEN snapshot), use the baseline form instead:

   python3 scripts/check-test-count.py --baseline origin/main
   

3. Interpret exit code

   • 0: PASS. A structured JSON summary is emitted — capture it for the report.
   • 1: FAIL. The script prints the removed tests, the override status, and a directive. Propagate the message verbatim.
   • 2: Invocation error (bad args). Treat as gate failure.

4. Capture the structured summary (AC-017):

   tests_added: N, tests_removed: 0, tests_renamed: M, tests_replaced: 0, override: none
   

Pass/Fail criteria:

• PASS: tests_removed == 0 AND tests_replaced == 0 (or all removals/replacements are covered by an overrides.json record or a [ADD-TEST-DELETE: ...] commit trailer)
• FAIL: Any uncovered removal or replacement
• SKIP: No .add/cycles/cycle-*/ dir (standalone verify outside a cycle)

Error mode (AC-015): if the GREEN snapshot is missing, FAIL with "GREEN snapshot not found — cycle is incomplete or test-writer/implementer skipped snapshotting" and remediation "Rerun /add:tdd-cycle from RED to regenerate snapshots."

See core/rules/tdd-enforcement.md "Test-Deletion Invariant" for the justification marker formats and the full rationale.

Gate 4: Spec Compliance & Integration Tests

Purpose: Verify implementation meets spec and integration points work.

Steps:

1. Read spec file (specs/{feature}.md)

   • Extract all acceptance criteria
   • Load test mapping (tests/{feature}-mapping.md)

2. Verify test coverage

   • Every AC has at least one test
   • Every AC test is in the "passing" list
   • Every UT is covered by tests

3. Run integration tests (if separate suite)

   npm test -- --testMatch="**/*.integration.test.ts"
   # or
   python -m pytest tests/integration/ -v
   

4. Spec compliance check

   • Parse test mapping
   • Verify mapping completeness
   • Cross-check with spec requirements

5. Pass/Fail

   • PASS: All ACs tested and passing, all integration tests pass
   • FAIL: AC missing test, test failing, or integration test failing
   • WARN: AC has only happy-path test (no edge cases)

Gate 4.5: AGENTS.md Drift (Opt-In)

Purpose: Detect drift between the project's canonical ADD state and its published AGENTS.md.

Opt-In: This gate runs only when .add/config.json contains "agentsMd": {"gateOnVerify": true}. Default is false — AGENTS.md is advisory for projects that have not opted in.

When enabled:

1. Check that AGENTS.md exists at project root. If absent, warn and skip (not a fail — the project may not publish one).
2. Run python3 scripts/generate-agents-md.py --check from the project root.
   • Exit 0 → in sync, gate PASSES.
   • Exit 1 → drift detected, gate FAILS (advisory — does not block Gate 5).
3. Print the unified diff on failure for fast human review. Suggest /add:agents-md --write to remediate.

Gate 4.6: Staged-Secret Scan

Purpose: Block commits that contain secrets before they reach the remote git history. Closes F-014 (the v0.9.0 secrets gate was prose-only).

When it runs: At --level deploy (and any superset). Skipped at --level local|ci|smoke because no commit is being prepared at those levels.

How it runs: Follow ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/secrets-gate.md — scanner invocation, exit-code interpretation, redaction rules, and report format all live there. NEVER paste a matched secret value into the report.

Pass/Fail criteria:

• PASS: Scanner exit code 0
• FAIL: Scanner exit code != 0 (findings, invocation error, or missing catalog — never silently disable enforcement)
• SKIP: --level is local, ci, or smoke (no staged commit context)

Gate 5: Smoke Tests (Post-Deploy)

Purpose: Quick health check after deployment to catch obvious breakage.

Steps:

1. Identify smoke test script

   • From config: ci.smokeTestScript
   • Typical: npm run test:smoke or ./scripts/smoke-tests.sh

2. Run smoke tests against deployed environment

   ENVIRONMENT=staging npm run test:smoke
   # or
   ./scripts/smoke-tests.sh production
   

3. Capture output — tests run and result, errors or timeouts, performance baseline check

4. Pass/Fail

   • PASS: All smoke tests pass within timeout
   • FAIL: Any test fails or timeout exceeded
   • SKIP: Not running (smoke level only)

Maturity-Scaled Checks (All Gates)

After each gate's core checks, run maturity-scaled checks from the quality-gates rule. These checks progressively tighten with project maturity.

Execution Pattern (repeat for each gate):

1. Read maturity level from .add/config.json (default: alpha)
2. Load maturity-scaled checklist from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/quality-checks-matrix.md → Maturity-Scaled Checks section
3. Filter checks for this gate using the Gate Distribution mapping:
   • Gate 1: Code quality (complexity, duplication, file/function length), secrets scan, readability (naming, nesting), branch naming
   • Gate 2: Dependency audit, OWASP review, docstrings on exports, N+1/blocking async detection, CHANGELOG/LICENSE
   • Gate 3: Bundle size, PR template, README completeness, dependency freshness
   • Gate 4: Auth pattern review, PII/data handling, response time baselines, stale branch cleanup
   • Gate 5: Response times vs baselines, secure headers verification
4. Execute checks using agent tools:
   • Use Grep to scan for patterns (secrets, magic numbers, N+1 queries, blocking async calls)
   • Use Read to inspect files (function length, nesting depth, docstrings, README content)
   • Use Bash to run tools (dependency audit, bundle size, lint with complexity rules)
   • Use Glob to find files (LICENSE, CHANGELOG, PR template, .gitignore, stale branches)
5. Classify findings as blocking or advisory per maturity level
   • Load override thresholds from .add/config.json qualityChecks if present
   • Apply enforcement level: blocking findings fail the gate, advisory findings are warnings
6. Include in gate report — append maturity-scaled results to the gate's report section, and add the Maturity-Scaled Checks Summary to the overall report (formats in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/verify-report.md)

Execution by Level

Level: local (development)

Runs Gates 1-2:

1. Lint & formatting
2. Type checking

Typical use: Before committing code locally

Level: ci (continuous integration)

Runs Gates 1-3 (Gate 3.5 runs if cycle snapshots present):

1. Lint & formatting
2. Type checking
3. Unit tests & coverage 3.5 Test Surface Integrity (only if .add/cycles/cycle-*/ snapshots exist)

Typical use: CI/CD pipeline on every push

Level: deploy (production deploy)

Runs Gates 1-4 (plus 3.5, 4.5 opt-in, 4.6):

1. Lint & formatting
2. Type checking
3. Unit tests & coverage 3.5 Test Surface Integrity (test-deletion guardrail)
4. Spec compliance & integration tests 4.5 AGENTS.md drift (opt-in via config) 4.6 Staged-secret scan (always)

Typical use: Before deploying to production

Level: smoke (post-deploy)

Runs Gate 5 only:

1. Smoke tests

Typical use: After deployment to verify health

Report Generation

Generate the comprehensive verification report using the formats in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/verify-report.md:

• One per-gate section per gate that ran (per-gate format)
• The summary table with overall status
• The Maturity-Scaled Checks Summary
• Recommendations with explicit next steps: /add:deploy if all gates pass, fix and re-run /add:verify if any fail
• The Configuration Used footer

Progress Tracking

Tasks to create (mechanics per ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/skill-epilogue.md):

Phase	Subject	activeForm
Pre-flight	Running pre-flight checks	Running pre-flight checks...
Gate 1	Lint and formatting	Checking lint and formatting...
Gate 2	Type checking	Running type checks...
Gate 3	Tests and coverage	Running tests and checking coverage...
Gate 3.5	Test surface integrity	Checking test-deletion guardrail...
Gate 4	Spec compliance	Verifying spec compliance...
Gate 4.6	Staged-secret scan	Scanning staged content for secrets...
Gate 5	Smoke tests	Running smoke tests...
Maturity	Maturity-scaled checks	Running maturity-scaled checks...
Report	Generating verification report	Generating verification report...

Error Handling

Gate fails

• Report which gate failed and why
• List specific errors or failures
• Provide remediation guidance
• Exit with non-zero code

Tools not installed

• Report missing tool (eslint, tsc, jest, etc.)
• Provide installation command
• Suggest: npm install or pip install

Coverage below threshold

• Report current vs. target
• Identify which files are below threshold
• Suggest: add tests or check coverage report

Tests timeout

• Report which test timed out
• Suggest running individual test
• Suggest: npm test -- --testNamePattern="test_name"

Environment issues

• Smoke tests fail due to unavailable environment
• Report connectivity issues
• Suggest checking deployment status

--fix Flag Behavior

When --fix is provided:

1. Gate 1 (Lint): Auto-fix formatting issues — run eslint --fix or prettier, re-run linter to verify, report what was fixed
2. Gate 2 (Types): Cannot auto-fix type errors — report errors, suggest manual review
3. Gate 3 (Tests): Cannot auto-fix test failures — report failures, suggest checking coverage or adding tests
4. Gate 4 (Spec): Cannot auto-fix spec mismatches — report issues, suggest updating tests or implementation
5. Gate 5 (Smoke): Cannot auto-fix smoke test failures — report failures, suggest checking deployment

Integration with Other Skills

• Used by /add:tdd-cycle during VERIFY phase
• Can be run standalone to check code quality
• Output informs /add:deploy decision
• Feeds back to /add:implementer or /add:reviewer if gates fail

End-of-skill epilogue: follow ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/skill-epilogue.md (observation + learning checkpoint + progress tracking). Learning checkpoint trigger: "After Verification".