task-verification-checkpoints

Task Verification Checkpoints

Before declaring a task as <COMPLETE>, perform these verification checks to ensure the deliverable matches requirements and prevents wrong-task completion.

Overview

This skill prevents common failures where agents:

• Create outputs in wrong formats (PDF vs PPTX vs DOCX)
• Skip processing some reference files
• Drift from the actual task requirements

Three Critical Checkpoints

Checkpoint 1: Output Format Verification

Question: Does the output file format match task requirements?

Actions:

1. Re-read the task prompt for explicit format requirements
2. Check file extensions of all output files
3. Verify the actual file type matches the extension
4. Confirm against any format specifications (e.g., "revised PDF report")

Example validation:

def verify_output_format(task_prompt, output_files):
    """Check if output format matches task requirements."""
    required_format = extract_format_requirement(task_prompt)  # e.g., 'pdf', 'pptx'
    
    for f in output_files:
        actual_ext = f.split('.')[-1].lower()
        if actual_ext != required_format:
            return False, f"Expected .{required_format}, got .{actual_ext}"
    
    return True, "Format verified"

Checkpoint 2: Reference File Coverage

Question: Were ALL reference/input files processed?

Actions:

1. List all files mentioned in the task as inputs
2. Confirm each was read/analyzed/used (check file access logs)
3. Document which content from each file contributed to output
4. Flag any unprocessed reference files

Example validation:

def verify_reference_coverage(task_files, accessed_files):
    """Ensure all reference files were actually processed."""
    missing = set(task_files) - set(accessed_files)
    if missing:
        return False, f"Unprocessed files: {missing}"
    return True, "All references processed"

Checkpoint 3: Task Alignment Verification

Question: Does the deliverable address the ACTUAL task prompt?