✅ Verification Loop Protocol

Goal: Ensure zero regressions and 100% functional correctness for every change.

📝 The Instruction

When to run: After writing code, but BEFORE asking the user for review.

Protocol Steps:

1. Define Success State:

   • What exactly should happen if this works? (e.g., "The API returns 200 OK with JSON X").
   • What should not happen? (e.g., "The server should not crash on null input").

2. Reproduction / Test Creation:

   • Case A (Bug Fix): Create a minimal reproduction script that fails before your fix and passes after.
   • Case B (New Feature): Write a unit/integration test covering the happy path AND one edge case.

3. Execute & Observe:

   • Run the test using run_command.
   • CRITICAL: Do not assume it passed. Read the output closely.
   • If it failed, analyze the error, fix the code, and GOTO Step 2.

4. Regression Check:

   • Run related existing tests (e.g., npm test tests/related-file.js).
   • If you broke something, FIX IT.

5. Self-Correction:

   • "Did I leave any console.log?"
   • "Did I leave any TODOs?"
   • "Is the code style consistent?" (Check rules/coding-style.md).

6. Final Output:

   • Only when all checks pass, report to the user:
   • "Verification Passed: [Test Name]✅"

🔍 Troubleshooting

• "Tests are flaky": Investigate concurrency or shared state. Fix the test, don't ignore it.
• "I can't run tests": Create a small standalone script (e.g., verify-fix.js) and run that with node.

Trust, but verify.