verification-protocol

YOLO Verification Protocol

Authoritative spec for YOLO's verification pipeline. The QA agent is deprecated; Dev natively verifies via MCP testing tools.

1. Contexts

• Post-build: Auto after /yolo:vibe execute mode (unless turbo)

2. Three-Tier Verification (VRFY-01)

Quick (5-10 checks)

• Artifact existence: each must_haves.artifacts path exists
• Frontmatter validity: YAML parses, required fields present
• Key string presence: each contains value found via grep
• No placeholder text: no {placeholder}, TBD, Phase N stubs

Standard (15-25 checks)

Quick, plus:

• Content structure: expected sections/headings present
• Key link verification: each must_haves.key_links confirmed via grep
• Import/export chain: referenced files exist, cross-refs resolve
• Frontmatter cross-consistency: field values align across related artifacts
• Line count thresholds: files meet minimum size for type
• Convention compliance: check against CONVENTIONS.md if it exists (see §5 / VRFY-06)
• Skill-augmented checks: domain-specific checks from installed quality skills

Deep (30+ checks)

Standard, plus:

• Anti-pattern scan (see §6 / VRFY-07)
• Requirement-to-artifact mapping (see §7 / VRFY-08)
• Cross-file consistency: shared constants/enums/types match everywhere
• Detailed convention verification: every new/modified file checked
• Skill-augmented deep checks: thorough domain-specific verification
• Completeness audit: no partial implementations, no untracked TODO/FIXME

3. Auto-Selection Heuristic (VRFY-01)

Signal	Tier
--effort=turbo	Skipped
--effort=fast	Quick
--effort=balanced	Standard
--effort=thorough	Deep
>15 requirements or last phase before ship	Deep (override)

Precedence: context overrides > effort-based > default.

4. Goal-Backward Methodology (VRFY-02)

Start from desired outcomes, derive testable conditions, verify against artifacts. Catches code that exists but doesn't fulfill its purpose.

1. State goal: Extract objective from plan + phase success criteria from ROADMAP.md
2. Derive truths: From must_haves.truths -- each must be verifiably true in codebase
3. Verify at three levels:
   • Truth checks: Observable condition per truth. Execute (grep/read/match). PASS/FAIL/PARTIAL with evidence
   • Artifact checks: File exists at path, contains each contains string, provides declared capability
   • Key link checks: from file references to file, pattern matches via
4. Classify: Each check gets PASS/FAIL/PARTIAL with file paths, line numbers, grep output

5. Convention Verification (VRFY-06)

Active when .yolo-planning/codebase/CONVENTIONS.md exists. Silently skipped otherwise.

Tier	Behavior
Quick	Skipped
Standard	Spot-check naming patterns + file placement for new files
Deep	Systematic: every new file vs naming, every modified file vs conventions, code patterns vs documented idioms

Categories: naming patterns, file placement, import ordering, export patterns.

6. Anti-Pattern Scanning (VRFY-07)

Anti-Pattern	Detection	Severity	Tier
TODO/FIXME without tracking	grep -rn "TODO|FIXME" not linked to tracker	WARN	Deep
Placeholder text	{placeholder}, TBD, Phase N stubs, lorem ipsum	FAIL	Standard+
Empty function bodies	Functions with no implementation	FAIL	Deep
Filler phrases	"think carefully", "be thorough", "as an AI" in agent/ref files	FAIL	Standard+
Unwired code	Exported symbols never imported elsewhere	WARN	Deep
Dead imports	Imported symbols never used	WARN	Deep
Hardcoded secrets	sk-, pk_, AKIA, ghp_, glpat-, password/secret patterns	FAIL	Standard+

Severities: FAIL = must fix before ship. WARN = review, may be intentional.

Notes: placeholder detection excludes template files; filler detection applies to agent/ref/command files only; secret detection uses pattern matching (known prefixes + common patterns).

7. Requirement Mapping (VRFY-08)

Deep tier only. Traces requirement IDs to implementing artifacts.

1. Extract requirement IDs from phase section of ROADMAP.md
2. Trace each ID to PLAN.md files (must_haves, task descriptions, success criteria) and SUMMARY.md files (accomplishments, commits, files modified)
3. Classify: Mapped (plan+summary) = OK. Planned only (plan, no summary) = WARN. Unmapped (neither) = FAIL

Scope: current phase only. Cross-phase requirements noted but not flagged.

8. Continuous Verification Hooks (VRFY-03, VRFY-04, VRFY-05)

Protocol instructions in agent definitions (not JS hooks or event handlers).

• VRFY-03 Post-Write (Dev): Run linter/type-checker on modified files if configured. Fix before committing. Advisory.
• VRFY-04 Post-Commit (Dev): Verify commit format {type}({scope}): {description}. Check only task-related files staged. Self-check protocol.
• VRFY-05 OnStop (Execute): Verify SUMMARY.md exists with required frontmatter (phase, plan, status, completed) and standard sections (Accomplishments, Task Commits, Files Created/Modified, Deviations). Report issues.

9. Output Format

Frontmatter

---
phase: { phase-id }
tier: { quick|standard|deep }
result: { PASS|FAIL|PARTIAL }
passed: { N }
failed: { N }
total: { N }
date: { YYYY-MM-DD }
---

Structure

# Verification: Phase {N}

## Must-Have Checks

| # | Truth/Condition | Status | Evidence |

## Artifact Checks

| Artifact | Exists | Contains | Status |

## Key Link Checks

| From | To | Via | Status |

## Anti-Pattern Scan (standard+)

| Pattern | Found | Location | Severity |

## Requirement Mapping (deep only)

| Requirement | Plan Ref | Artifact Evidence | Status |

## Convention Compliance (standard+, if CONVENTIONS.md)

| Convention | File | Status | Detail |

## Skill-Augmented Checks (if quality skills)

| Skill | Check | Status | Evidence |

## Summary

Tier: / Result: / Passed: N/total / Failed: [list]

Result classification: PASS = all pass (WARNs OK). PARTIAL = some fail but core verified. FAIL = critical checks fail.