Smart-ralph reality-verification

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

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/tzachbon/smart-ralph

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/tzachbon/smart-ralph "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/plugins/ralph-specum/skills/reality-verification" ~/.claude/skills/tzachbon-smart-ralph-reality-verification && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: plugins/ralph-specum/skills/reality-verification/SKILL.md

Reality 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