Pre-Task Checklist

Mandatory pre-task verification protocol to prevent forgetfulness, stale data errors, and context loss. Use when: (1) starting any non-trivial task, (2) befo...

Security Scan

The skill's code and instructions match its stated purpose (pre-task verification); it reads local workspace files and checks connectivity as expected and does not request unrelated credentials or install remote code.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description ask for pre-task verification and the scripts + SKILL.md implement memory/search, file inspection, and connectivity checks — all coherent with that purpose. No unrelated env vars, binaries, or external services are requested.

Instruction Scope

Instructions and scripts read local workspace files (~/.openclaw/workspace/* and /tmp examples), run memory_search if present, and attempt SSH connectivity; this is consistent with verifying IPs/paths but means the skill will surface contents of those files and try network connections when invoked.

Install Mechanism

No install spec; this is an instruction-only skill with included helper scripts. Nothing is downloaded from external URLs or written to system paths by an installer.

Credentials

The skill requires no environment variables or external credentials. It may use existing SSH keys/config when verifying hosts, which is proportionate to the stated goal.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request elevated or permanent platform privileges nor attempt to modify other skills' configs. It suggests writing to a WAL via an external command in a consequence section, but that is an application-level action consistent with governance, not an implicit privilege escalation.

Assessment

This skill appears coherent and implements a reasonable pre-task checklist, but it will read files from your workspace and may print their contents and attempt SSH connections using whatever SSH keys/config are available. Before loading or sourcing the scripts: (1) review scripts/checklist.sh and scripts/verify.py yourself (they are included) to ensure you’re comfortable with which files they read; (2) be aware that outputs from running the skill could expose sensitive file contents or tokens if those files exist; (3) if you do not want network checks, avoid invoking the IP verification paths or remove/modify the SSH check; and (4) run it in a restricted account or sandbox if you want to limit any accidental disclosure. Overall: coherent and expected behavior for a verification checklist, but exercise the usual caution with tools that read local files and perform network checks.

Never guess. Never assume. Always verify.

The Problem

Agents forget things when:

• MEMORY.md has stale data (old IPs, wrong paths, expired tokens)
• Context window compaction loses recent details
• Multiple concurrent sub-agents fragment attention
• New tasks override previous context

Result: Wrong IPs, incorrect formats, missed rules, repeated mistakes.

The Solution

Mandatory pre-task checklist before ANY non-trivial task:

1. memory_search() for relevant patterns
2. Read reference files directly (don't assume)
3. Verify critical details in real-time
4. Check AGENTS.md / SOUL.md for rules

Quick Start

# Before starting a task
source ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/pre-task-checklist/scripts/checklist.sh

# Verify a specific detail (IP, path, format)
verify "GPU server IP"
verify "MBD article format"

# Full checklist (interactive)
run_checklist

Checklist Items

1. Memory Search

# Search for relevant patterns
memory_search "GPU server IP address"
memory_search "MBD article format"
memory_search "folder naming convention"

What to look for:

• Previous examples of this task
• Correct IPs, paths, formats
• Rules or constraints
• Past mistakes to avoid

2. Read Reference Files

# Read actual examples, don't assume
cat /tmp/mbd-book-ideas/2026-03-11_懒人理财经_AI替你管钱躺赚不是梦/文章.md
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/TOOLS.md
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/AGENTS.md

What to verify:

• Format and structure
• Tone and style
• Technical requirements
• Examples to follow

3. Verify Critical Details

# Check live data, don't trust memory
ssh peter@10.0.0.30 "echo 'connected'"  # Verify IP works
ls -la /path/to/file                     # Verify path exists
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/TOOLS.md       # Verify current value

What to verify:

• IPs and hostnames
• File paths and URLs
• API keys and tokens (check expiry)
• Configuration values

4. Check Rules

# Read rule files before acting
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/AGENTS.md      # Check project rules
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md        # Check identity/rules
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/HEARTBEAT.md   # Check recurring tasks

What to check:

• "No pause" rule - execute immediately
• Repo ownership (clawinfra vs AlexChen31337)
• Publish gates (MbD needs explicit approval)
• Safety/security rules

Examples

Example 1: GPU Server Access

❌ Wrong (guessing):

ssh peter@10.0.0.44  # WRONG IP from stale memory

✅ Right (verifying):

# Step 1: Search memory
memory_search "GPU server IP"
# → Returns: "10.0.0.44" (STALE!)

# Step 2: Verify in TOOLS.md
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/TOOLS.md | grep "GPU Server"
# → Shows: "peter@10.0.0.30" (CURRENT!)

# Step 3: Test connection
ssh peter@10.0.0.30 "hostname"
# → Works!

# Step 4: Update memory
# (Correct the stale data)

Example 2: MBD Article Format

❌ Wrong (assuming):

# Write 8,000-word academic whitepaper

✅ Right (verifying):

# Step 1: Search memory
memory_search "MBD article word count"
# → Returns: "3,000-4,500 words"

# Step 2: Read example
cat /tmp/mbd-book-ideas/2026-03-11_懒人理财经_AI替你管钱躺赚不是梦/文章.md
# → See conversational tone, chapter structure

# Step 3: Check rules
cat AGENTS.md | grep -A5 "MbD publish"
# → "MbD: NEVER publish without explicit 'publish to MbD'"

# Step 4: Follow format
# Write 4,000 words, conversational style

Example 3: GitHub Repo Ownership

❌ Wrong (assuming):

gh repo create clawinfra/my-repo  # WRONG!

✅ Right (verifying):

# Step 1: Check rules
cat AGENTS.md | grep -A10 "GitHub Repo Ownership"
# → "clawinfra/ ONLY for ClawChain, EvoClaw, core infrastructure"
# → "AlexChen31337/ for research, tools, benchmarks"

# Step 2: Classify repo
# My tool is NOT core infrastructure → use AlexChen31337

# Step 3: Create in correct org
gh repo create AlexChen31337/my-repo

Consequences for Violations

When you skip the checklist and make a mistake:

1. Acknowledge immediately

   • "I forgot to verify X"
   • "I assumed Y instead of checking"

2. Write to WAL

   uv run python skills/agent-self-governance/scripts/wal.py append main \
     --type checklist_violation \
     "Failed to verify GPU server IP. Used 10.0.0.44 (stale) instead of 10.0.0.30 (current)."
   

3. Correct before continuing

   • Fix the mistake
   • Update stale data
   • Verify the fix works

4. Identify root cause

   • Why did I skip verification?
   • Was I rushed?
   • Did I feel confident when I shouldn't have?

Integration with Other Skills

agent-motivator

• agent-motivator: "Push harder, don't give up"
• pre-task-checklist: "Verify before you push"

Use together:

1. Run pre-task-checklist to verify the approach
2. Use agent-motivator to push through obstacles

rsi-loop

• rsi-loop: Log outcomes and improve
• pre-task-checklist: Prevent mistakes before they happen

Use together:

1. Run pre-task-checklist before task
2. Log outcome with rsi-loop after task
3. Update checklist based on learnings

skill-creator

When creating new skills, include a "Verification" section that references this checklist.

Verification Scripts

Quick Verify Function

# Add to ~/.bashrc or source directly
verify() {
    local query="$1"
    echo "🔍 Verifying: $query"
    memory_search "$query" | head -5
    echo "📖 Check reference files for: $query"
}

Full Checklist Script

run_checklist() {
    echo "=== PRE-TASK CHECKLIST ==="
    echo "1. What task am I doing?"
    read task
    echo "2. Search memory for: $task"
    memory_search "$task" | head -10
    echo "3. Read reference files? (y/n)"
    read ref_files
    if [ "$ref_files" = "y" ]; then
        echo "Which files?"
        read files
        cat $files
    fi
    echo "4. Verify critical details? (y/n)"
    read verify_details
    if [ "$verify_details" = "y" ]; then
        echo "What to verify?"
        read verify_what
        verify "$verify_what"
    fi
    echo "5. Check rules? (y/n)"
    read check_rules
    if [ "$check_rules" = "y" ]; then
        cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/AGENTS.md
    fi
    echo "=== CHECKLIST COMPLETE ==="
    echo "Proceed with task? (y/n)"
    read proceed
    if [ "$proceed" = "y" ]; then
        echo "✅ Proceeding with verified context"
    else
        echo "❌ Task aborted - need more verification"
    fi
}

Teaching Agents to Use This Skill

When spawning sub-agents, include this in the prompt:

sessions_spawn(
    runtime="subagent",
    task=f"""
    Task: {task_description}
    
    MANDATORY PRE-TASK CHECKLIST:
    1. Search memory for similar tasks
    2. Read reference files (don't assume)
    3. Verify critical details (IPs, paths, formats)
    4. Check rules in AGENTS.md/SOUL.md
    
    Start by running the checklist and reporting what you found.
    Then proceed with the task.
    """
)

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: "I Remember This"

Thought: "I used the GPU server yesterday, I know the IP" Problem: Memory might be stale Fix: Verify in TOOLS.md or test connection

Pitfall 2: "This Is Obvious"

Thought: "Everyone knows MBD articles are 8,000 words" Problem: Assumptions are wrong Fix: Read an actual MBD article example

Pitfall 3: "I'll Check Later"

Thought: "Let me just start, I'll verify the IP later" Problem: You'll forget, and errors will compound Fix: Verify BEFORE starting

Pitfall 4: "Searching Takes Too Long"

Thought: "This will add 2 minutes to every task" Problem: One mistake costs 10+ minutes to fix Fix: 2 minutes now vs 10 minutes later

When to Skip the Checklist

Only for trivial tasks:

• "What time is it?"
• "Send this message"
• "Read this file"
• "List running processes"

Never skip for:

• Using IPs, paths, URLs
• Writing to files
• Publishing content
• Deploying code
• Spawning sub-agents
• Financial operations
• Security-sensitive actions

Success Metrics

Track your improvement:

• Week 1: Checklist on every task (100%)
• Week 2: Checklist on 50% of tasks (build intuition)
• Week 3: Checklist on 20% of tasks (only complex/uncertain)
• Week 4: Checklist becomes automatic habit

Goal: Zero mistakes from stale data or forgotten rules.

---

Remember: The 2 minutes you spend verifying saves 20 minutes fixing mistakes.

When in doubt: CHECK. When confident: CHECK AGAIN.