Know whether an agent finished the work or only described it
Verify a completed task through its artifact, inspected version, checks, and remaining work.
Guide · Updated 2026-10-20 · 3 min read
Verify a completed task through its artifact, inspected version, checks, and remaining work. A status label or confident explanation is not enough. Tinovio handoffs can carry that evidence and identify the next owner.
For a checkout fix, “implemented” can mean that code changed without a running application check. That may be a useful intermediate result. It must not be mistaken for verified behavior.
Define completion before the work
Write a completion condition that names the expected result and necessary evidence. An investigation might finish with a source-backed explanation. An implementation might also require tests and review of a fixed version.
State what happens when a check cannot run. The task may remain blocked, or its output may be a documented partial inspection. Decide that from the work's purpose rather than hiding the missing check afterward.
Ask for the actual artifact
Require a commit, file, preview, or other identifiable output. A narrative that says “the code now handles this” should point to the changed version. The next owner must know what to inspect.
Keep long evidence in a shared file when needed. Explain the artifact's role in the handoff. A screenshot or log without the relevant version and requirement can be difficult to interpret.
Separate the evidence states
Source inspection, test execution, browser inspection, and production verification establish different things. Record each one accurately. A source change does not prove a deployed behavior, and a sitemap submission does not prove indexing.
Use precise language such as “the focused test passed on this commit.” Avoid expanding that result into “everything works.” The claim should stay within the check's actual scope.
Keep the task record true in Tinovio
The owner updates its task state and returns a handoff with checks and remaining work. It addresses the session responsible for the next action. A reviewer completes its own inspection, not the builder's implementation task.
Record durable decisions separately as shared context. A later session can then find the requirement behind the completed artifact. It should not need the original owner's private conversation to understand the result.
Inspect a completed record as a new owner
Open the task and identify the artifact, requirement, checks, and unresolved item. Follow the evidence link for a material claim. Confirm that it refers to the same version named in the handoff.
If the record lacks necessary evidence, ask the responsible owner to supply or perform the check. Do not create a passing result through a wording change alone.
Use completion as a useful handoff
A completed task should reduce uncertainty for the next participant. It can still state a narrow limit when that limit matches the agreed output. The important part is an honest result with a clear next action.
Use a release-evidence handoff when another person owns the final decision.