Proof of Work

Automates verification that AI agents truly completed tasks by checking output files, system states, and logs for expected results and activity.

Proof of Work — Automated Completion Verification for AI Agents

Use this skill to verify that your AI agents actually completed what they claimed, not just that they said they did.

What This Skill Does

Runs automated verification checks after agent task completion:

• Did the expected output file exist and contain valid content?
• Did the expected system state change actually happen?
• Did the agent log a completion that matches what was assigned?

Catches the most common AI agent failure mode: the confident-sounding completion that didn't actually do anything.

When to Use

• Any time an agent reports TASK_COMPLETE on critical work
• Before promoting an agent from "draft and review" to "act autonomously"
• When debugging why something that "was done" isn't actually done
• As a gate before downstream work depends on a previous agent's output

How It Works

A shell script that runs after agent task completion. Checks:

1. File existence — Did the expected output path get created?
2. Content validation — Does the file contain expected markers (non-empty, valid JSON, expected keywords)?
3. State checks — Did the expected system state change? (process running, port listening, DB record created)
4. Log correlation — Does the activity_log entry for this task show TASK_COMPLETE (not TASK_BLOCKED or silence)?

Returns exit code 0 on pass, 1 on fail. Integrates with any CI/cron pipeline.

Installation

chmod +x install.sh && ./install.sh

Usage

# Verify a file output
./proof-of-work.sh --check-file /path/to/expected/output.md

# Verify a process is running
./proof-of-work.sh --check-process "queue-manager"

# Verify a DB record exists
./proof-of-work.sh --check-db ~/.agentops/agentops.db --query "SELECT count(*) FROM queue_items WHERE status='done' AND id=42" --expected 1

# Full verification suite
./proof-of-work.sh --config verification.json

Sample Verification Config

{
  "task_id": 42,
  "checks": [
    {"type": "file", "path": "~/.agentops/output/report.md", "min_size": 100},
    {"type": "db", "db": "~/.agentops/agentops.db", "query": "SELECT status FROM queue_items WHERE id=42", "expected": "done"},
    {"type": "log", "event_type": "TASK_COMPLETE", "agent_id": "buzz"}
  ]
}

Part of Trust AI Suite

Proof of Work is the verification layer of the Trust AI Suite:

• Accountable AI — Governance & accountability
• Proof of Work (this) — Verify agents completed tasks
• AgentOps Tracker — Full operational visibility ($49)
• Total Recall — Forensic memory search ($69)
• Anticipation — Predict what you need before you ask ($39)

→ Full suite: Trust AI Stack on ClawMart