anti-slop-gate

Anti-Slop Gate

This is the quality enforcement gate for all code generation. It runs three checks against proposed code and BLOCKS on failure. This is not advisory — violations are rejections.

When to Invoke

• Before finalizing ANY code generation output
• Before presenting code to the user as a solution
• After making modifications to existing files
• When generating new files

The Three Checks

1. Reference Checker

Validates that all imports, API calls, and type references resolve to real entities in the ecosystem manifest.

Blocks on:

• missing-file: Import path resolves to a file that does not exist in the codebase
• missing-export: Named import references an export that does not exist in the target file
• unknown-route: API call targets a route not defined in any scanned repo
• unknown-procedure: tRPC procedure call references a procedure not in the manifest

2. Convention Validator

Enforces detected codebase patterns on generated code.

Blocks on:

• naming: Variable/function name violates the repo's naming convention (camelCase, snake_case, PascalCase, kebab-case)
• file-location: File is placed in the wrong directory per codebase convention
• error-handling: Async function uses await without error handling when the codebase convention is try-catch
• testing: Test file placement violates co-located or separate-directory convention

3. Slop Detector

Catches common AI code generation failures.

Blocks on (severity: error):

• placeholder: TODO comments, FIXME, HACK, XXX, "not implemented" throws, placeholder console.logs
• phantom-import: Package imported that is not in the project's dependency list (hallucinated package)

Warns on (severity: warning):

• duplicate-block: 3+ lines of duplicate code detected
• over-commenting: Comment-to-code ratio exceeds 50%

4. Neurosymbolic Rule Engine

Hard rules enforced on generated code by the rule engine:

Blocks on (severity: error):

• no-fetch-without-catch: fetch() without .catch() or try-catch within 5 lines
• no-hardcoded-secret: API key / token / password pattern hardcoded in source

Warns on (severity: warning):

• no-raw-env-access: process.env.X without ?? fallback
• no-any-cast: TypeScript as any in production (non-test) files

Check Workflow

For every code block you generate:

1. Verify imports: Every import or require statement targets a file/package that exists
2. Verify API calls: Every fetch('/api/...') or trpc.X.query() targets a real endpoint
3. Verify naming: All identifiers match the target repo's naming convention
4. Verify no placeholders: No TODO, FIXME, not-implemented stubs
5. Verify no phantom packages: Every external package is in the dependency list

Rejection Format

When a violation is detected, present it in this format:

## BLOCKED — Anti-Slop Gate Failure

### Violations:

1. [REFERENCE] Line 3: Import path './services/user-service.js' resolves to
   'src/services/user-service.ts' which does not exist in the codebase.

2. [SLOP] Line 15: Package 'lodash-es' is not listed in project dependencies —
   possible hallucinated import.

3. [CONVENTION] 'fetch_user_data' does not follow camelCase convention.
   Suggestion: Rename to 'fetchUserData'.

### Resolution Required

[Describe what needs to change to pass the gate]

Enforcement Rules

• Error-severity violations are blocking. The code MUST NOT be presented as a solution until all error-severity issues are resolved.
• Warning-severity issues should be flagged but do not block. Present them as improvement suggestions.
• Never downgrade an error to a warning. If it is a hallucinated import, it is an error. Period.
• Never skip the gate because "it is a small change" or "the user is in a hurry." The gate exists to prevent production failures.
• Self-correct before presenting. If you detect a violation in your own output, fix it yourself rather than showing broken code with a note.

Common Failures to Watch For

1. Importing a file at a path that was renamed or moved
2. Using a package name that sounds right but is not installed (e.g., lodash-es when only lodash is installed)
3. Calling trpc.getUser.query() when the actual procedure is trpc.user.get.query()
4. Using snake_case in a camelCase codebase or vice versa
5. Leaving TODO stubs in generated code
6. Referencing an API route with the wrong path prefix