Use this pattern when an agent must prove that work satisfies requirements instead of merely describing what it did.
Requirement-to-evidence matrix
| Requirement | Source inspected | Action taken | Verification evidence | Status | Remaining gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <requirement> | <file/path/UI/doc> | <change/review> | <command/manual check> | verified / partially verified / not verified / blocked | <gap> |
Rules
- Every material requirement gets one row.
- Every acceptance claim must point to a row.
- Unknowns stay visible as unknowns.
- Passing tests cannot prove unrelated UI, security, accessibility, or docs claims.
- Manual checks must be named, not implied.
- Unavailable tools must be disclosed.
- A requirement with no evidence cannot be marked verified.
- A release claim must include limitation rows.
- A contract clause can reject work even when implementation looks plausible.
- The final status must match the weakest material row.
Example
| Requirement | Source inspected | Action taken | Verification evidence | Status | Remaining gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copy button works | site.js, index.html | Added clipboard API handling with a local fallback | Playwright grants clipboard permission, clicks the control, reads the clipboard, and verifies source and composed content | verified | Browser permission policy can still require the documented download fallback |
| Template count is 100 | docs/template-library/assets.json | Manifest checked by script | python3 -S scripts/check_template_library.py passed | verified | None |
Required research vocabulary cross-reference
This document participates in the same control vocabulary used across the library: CoT-safe public reasoning, Tree-of-Thoughts branch evaluation, ReAct observation loops, Least-to-most decomposition, Self-consistency checks, Self-refinement after failed checks, Process supervision, and traceability.