b-check-dev

b-check-dev is a command for coding agents from punt-labs/z-spec. It costs 8 tokens per session (604 once invoked), scanned A, original, MIT.

A command for type-checking a B machine, which is a formal specification file describing a system's data, rules, and operations, with ProB's `probcli` tool.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it to check `.mch`, `.ref`, or `.imp` files in a `specs/` directory, or a file path supplied directly. It reports whether the B machine passes or explains the errors found.
Why use it?
It catches syntax, type, and well-formedness errors before the specification is used further. It also clearly reports when the required checker is missing.

Command

Part of the z-spec-dev plugin — 42 commands, 1 hook shipped together

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add commands/punt-labs/z-spec/b-check-dev
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/punt-labs/z-spec

Or install z-spec-dev, the plugin that ships this one along with the rest of its 42 commands, 1 hook.

Wrote this? Show the measurements

A badge with what this costs and how it scanned, read live from this page, so it follows the numbers instead of freezing them. Markdown for a README, HTML for a documentation site or a project page.

agentmods badge for b-check-dev

README.md
[![agentmods](https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/punt-labs/z-spec/b-check-dev.svg)](https://agentmods.dev/commands/punt-labs/z-spec/b-check-dev)
Your own site
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/commands/punt-labs/z-spec/b-check-dev"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/punt-labs/z-spec/b-check-dev.svg" alt="Measured on agentmods" height="20"></a>
Per session 8 Only the description is in the session, so the agent can decide to use it. The body loads when it is invoked.
When invoked 604 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan A 0 findings. Scan, not verified.
Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5 $0.00008 $0.00604
Opus 5 $0.00004 $0.00302
Sonnet 5 $0.00002 $0.00121
Haiku 4.5 $0.00001 $0.00060

Measured 4d ago against content hash 52061f47425f, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-08-30, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

b-check-dev scanned grade A with 0 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 4d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Nothing flagged

None of the 26 patterns this scan looks for appear in this file: no shell pipes, no recursive deletes, no credential paths, no hidden text, no instruction-override or anti-refusal phrasing, no agent-config snooping. That is not a guarantee, it is the absence of the things that are checkable.

Origin

Copies of this mod

1 near-identical copy found in the catalogue:

  • b-check — 95% identical, 2 lines differ
plugin/commands/b-check-dev.md · 84 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 84 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

Check B Machine with probcli

Type-check a B machine (.mch, .ref, or .imp) using probcli.

Input

File: $ARGUMENTS

Process

0. Check Prerequisites

Verify probcli is installed:

PROBCLI="${PROBCLI:-$HOME/Applications/ProB/probcli}"
if ! which probcli >/dev/null 2>&1 && [ ! -x "$PROBCLI" ]; then
    echo "PROBCLI_NOT_FOUND"
fi

If probcli not found: Stop and tell the user:

probcli is not installed. Run /z-spec-dev:setup-dev probcli first.

1. Locate the Machine

If a file path is provided, use it directly.

If no file specified:

  • Look in specs/ for .mch, .ref, or .imp files
  • Present options if multiple files exist

2. Run probcli Type-Check

probcli <file>

probcli parses the machine, checks types, and reports errors. Unlike Z specifications (which use fuzz for type-checking), B machines use probcli for both type-checking and animation.

3. Interpret Results

Success: probcli exits with code 0, no error output.

Errors: probcli reports syntax errors, type errors, and well-formedness violations.

Common errors and fixes:

Error Likely Cause Fix
Syntax Error Invalid B syntax Check clause order (SETS before VARIABLES before INVARIANT)
Type Error Mismatched types in predicate Verify variable types in INVARIANT match OPERATIONS usage
Identifier not found Undefined variable or constant Add to VARIABLES or CONSTANTS clause
Parse error: expecting END Missing END keyword Each PRE/IF/SELECT needs a matching END
Not a B file Wrong file extension Use .mch, .ref, or .imp
PROPERTIES missing CONSTANTS without PROPERTIES Add PROPERTIES clause with typing constraints

4. Report Results

If successful:

  • Confirm the machine type-checks
  • List the machine's SETS, VARIABLES, and OPERATIONS

If errors:

  • List each error with location
  • Suggest specific fixes
  • Offer to apply fixes

Reference

  • B notation: reference/b-notation.md
  • B machine patterns: reference/b-machine-patterns.md
  • probcli options: reference/probcli-guide.md

Read the full file on GitHub · 84 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 4d ago First seen · 84 lines · 8 tokens per session scan A 52061f47425f

Subscribe to this mod's changes

b-check-dev is a command published in the GitHub repository punt-labs/z-spec (5 stars, last pushed yesterday), licensed MIT. It adds 8 tokens to every session and 604 once invoked, about $0.0000 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-31.