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principle-prove-it-works

证明它管用

Verify every task output by checking the real thing directly. Do not infer from proxies, self-reports, or “it compiles.”

直接检查真东西,验证每个任务产出。别从代理、自报或「能编译」推断。

Why: Unverified work has unknown correctness. Indirect verification (file mtimes, output freshness, agent self-reports, cached screenshots) feels cheaper than direct observation. Acting on a wrong inference costs far more than checking the source.

为什么: 未验证的工作正确性未知。间接验证(文件 mtime、输出新鲜度、agent 自报、缓存截图)感觉比直接观察便宜。按错误推断行动,代价远高于查源头。

Check the real thing, not a proxy:

查真东西,别查代理:

  • Check process liveness directly, not indirectly through derived state

  • Read the actual value, not a cached or derived representation

  • When verification fails, suspect the observation method before suspecting the system

  • 直接查进程是否活着,别通过派生状态间接猜

  • 读实际值,别读缓存或派生表示

  • 验证失败时,先怀疑观察方法,再怀疑系统

Code and features:

代码与功能:

  1. Build it (necessary but not sufficient)

  2. Run it and exercise the actual feature path

  3. Check the full chain: does data flow from input to output?

  4. For integrations, test the full communication path end-to-end

  5. 构建它(必要但不充分)

  6. 跑起来,走真实功能路径

  7. 查整条链:数据是否从输入流到输出?

  8. 集成要端到端测完整通信路径

Delegation: trust artifacts, not self-reports. When verifying delegated work, inspect the actual output artifact (git diff, file contents, runtime behavior), not the delegate’s summary.

委派:信产物,不信自报。 验证委派工作时,检查真实输出产物(git diff、文件内容、运行时行为),不是委托方摘要。

Script the check when you can

能脚本化就脚本化检查

The strongest proof is a deterministic script that re-runs the same comparison, not a one-time eyeball. Write the script, run it, and keep its output as an artifact a reviewer can re-run instead of trusting your word.

最强证明是可重跑同一比较的确定性脚本,不是一次性肉眼。写脚本、跑它,把输出留作审阅者可重跑的产物,而不是信你的话。

Keep the artifact visible for the human. Commit it only for large or complex work where the trail has to be auditable later, like a big port or migration (the show-me-your-work skill).

产物对人可见。只有大或复杂、轨迹以后必须可审计的活才 commit,比如大移植或迁移(show-me-your-work skill)。