self-graded-green

Self-graded green

The requirement: "Refunds must not exceed the amount paid." The agent reads "each refund," writes the check and a test (20000 on 10000: rejected), and everything passes. You meant the total. Two refunds of 6000 on a 10000 payment both go through.

Self-graded is not passed. Green means the agent agrees with itself. The fix: see its reading as examples before it builds, and approve that first.

Part A — Ask (paste and adapt)

Before writing any code:
1. For each requirement, give 2-4 concrete examples:
   input -> expected result. Include repeats, totals,
   boundaries, and retries where they apply.
2. If a requirement reads two ways, write TWO READINGS:
   <requirement>, show an example of each, and don't pick.
3. Stop and wait for my approval.
After I approve: build to those examples, turn them into
tests, and don't change them. If one looks wrong, ask.

In an orchestrated flow (spec → plan → tasks → implement): run this as one step right after the spec. On a big requirement, run it per slice, just before that slice's tasks.

Part B — Read the examples (you do this)

1. Write your own first for one line you care about, then compare. A mismatch is a misreading caught for free.
2. Look for the split. For each requirement ask: would the other reading give the same result here? If yes for every example, add one where it wouldn't (two refunds, not one).
3. Answer every TWO READINGS in the spec itself, so the next reader doesn't have to pick.
4. Hold the line. Later tasks build to the approved examples. If the agent wants to change one, that's a spec question for you, not an edit.

Done when: every requirement has examples you read, at least one per line where the readings would differ, and no open TWO READINGS.

Lesson: Day 8 — Self-Graded Green