evidence-before-claimslisted

# Evidence-Before-Claims ## Overview **Core principle:** You may not claim something works until you have run the proving command **in this message** and read its output. Evidence first, claim second — always. "Should work" is not a status; it's a hope. ## The Iron Law ``` NO COMPLETION CLAIM WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE ``` Fresh means *now*, in this turn — not "I ran it earlier," not "it passed last time." Code changed since then, or you wouldn't be claiming anything. A prior green run does not certify the current tree. ## The Gate Before any success claim, run this gate: 1. **IDENTIFY** the command that would *prove* the claim (the build, the test, the actual run that exercises the change — not a proxy). 2. **RUN it fresh and in full.** Not a subset, not `--fast`, not the one test you think matters. 3. **READ the whole output and the exit code.** Errors hide in the middle; exit code is the verdict. 4. **VERIFY** it actually shows what you're about to claim — the *right* thing passed, not just *something*. 5. **THEN claim** — and show the evidence. If you can't run the proving command, you don't claim success; you say what you verified and what you didn't. ## This Applies to Paraphrases Too The law covers the *meaning*, not just the exact word "done." "That should fix it," "all green," "ready to merge," "the tests are passing," "🎉 Perfect!" — every one is a completion claim and needs fresh evidence behind it. ## Don't Trust Reports — Verify Them When