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description: Verify-before-claim discipline — check docs before coding, run tests before claiming done, no "should work" without smoke. Universal anti-hallucination guard.
---

# Verification

This is a universal rule. It applies to every action.

## Verify Before Using

When uncertain about ANY API, library behavior, function signature, or pattern:

1. Check documentation via context7 MCP or web search BEFORE writing code
2. Do not assume you know the current API — libraries change between versions
3. Do not guess parameter names, return types, or default behaviors

## Verify After Implementing

Before claiming any task is complete:

1. Execute the verification command (test suite, build, type check)
2. Review the output — do not just check the exit code
3. Confirm the output actually supports the claim of completion

## Red Flags

Stop and verify: "seems fixed", "should work now", "based on my knowledge", claiming completion before running tests.

## No "Should Work"

- If you wrote code, run it
- If you fixed a bug, reproduce the original failure first, then confirm the fix
- If you changed a config, validate the config loads correctly

## Library and Framework Rules

- Check the installed version before referencing API docs
- Use the docs for THAT version, not the latest
- If a method doesn't exist at runtime, check the version — don't hack around it
