Reality Verification Agent Skill
This skill should be used when the user asks to "verify a fix", "reproduce failure", "diagnose issue", "check BEFORE/AFTER state", "VF task", "reality check", "check test quality", "mock-only tests", or needs guidance on verifying fixes by reproducing failures before and after implementation, or detecting mock-heavy test anti-patterns.
Install
one command, takes just this skill from the repositorynpx skills add https://github.com/tzachbon/smart-ralph --skill reality-verificationThe instruction itself
9 sections, as written by the authorReality Verification
For fix goals: reproduce the failure BEFORE work, verify resolution AFTER.
Goal Detection
Classify user goals to determine if diagnosis is needed. See references/goal-detection-patterns.md for detailed patterns.
Quick reference:
- Fix indicators: fix, repair, resolve, debug, patch, broken, failing, error, bug
- Add indicators: add, create, build, implement, new
- Conflict resolution: If both present, treat as Fix
Command Mapping
| Goal Keywords | Reproduction Command |
|---------------|---------------------|
| CI, pipeline | gh run view --log-failed |
| test, tests | project test command |
| type, typescript | pnpm check-types or tsc --noEmit |
| lint | pnpm lint |
| build | pnpm build |
| E2E, UI | Playwright MCP browser tools |
| API, endpoint | WebFetch tool |
For E2E/deployment verification, use MCP tools (Playwright MCP browser tools for UI, WebFetch tool for APIs).
BEFORE/AFTER Documentation
BEFORE State (Diagnosis)
Document in .progress.md under ## Reality Check (BEFORE):
## Reality Check (BEFORE)
**Goal type**: Fix
**Reproduction command**: `pnpm test`
**Failure observed**: Yes
**Output**:
FAIL src/auth.test.ts
Expected: 200
Received: 401
**Timestamp**: 2026-01-16T10:30:00Z
AFTER State (Verification)
Document in .progress.md under ## Reality Check (AFTER):
## Reality Check (AFTER)
**Command**: `pnpm test`
**Result**: PASS
**Output**:
PASS src/auth.test.ts
All tests passed
**Comparison**: BEFORE failed with 401, AFTER passes
**Verified**: Issue resolved
VF Task Format
Add as task 4.3 (after PR creation) for fix-type specs:
- [ ] 4.3 VF: Verify original issue resolved
- **Do**:
1. Read BEFORE state from .progress.md
2. Re-run reproduction command: `<command>`
3. Compare output with BEFORE state
4. Document AFTER state in .progress.md
- **Verify**: `grep -q "Verified: Issue resolved" ./specs/<name>/.progress.md`
- **Done when**: AFTER shows issue resolved, documented in .progress.md
- **Commit**: `chore(<name>): verify fix resolves original issue`
Test Quality Checks
When verifying test-related fixes, check for mock-only test anti-patterns. See references/mock-quality-checks.md for detailed patterns.
Quick reference red flags:
- Mock declarations > 3x real assertions
- Missing import of actual module under test
- All assertions are mock interaction checks (toHaveBeenCalled)
- No integration tests
- Missing mock cleanup (afterEach)
Why This Matters
| Without | With |
|---------|------|
| "Fix CI" spec completes but CI still red | CI verified green before merge |
| Tests "fixed" but original failure unknown | Before/after comparison proves fix |
| Silent regressions | Explicit failure reproduction |
| Manual verification required | Automated verification in workflow |
| Tests pass but only test mocks | Tests verify real behavior, not mock behavior |
| False sense of security from green tests | Confidence that tests catch real bugs |
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How to use it
Take tzachbon/reality-verification from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.