"It looks correct" is not "I verified it works." Proof-of-work is the discipline of closing that gap: reproducible evidence before any claim that a task is done.

Proof of Work

When NOT To Use

• Planning before implementation (use imbue:karpathy-principles)
• Deciding whether the work is in scope (use imbue:scope-guard)

Overview

The "Proof of Work" methodology prevents premature completion claims by requiring technical verification before stating that a task is finished. For example, instead of assuming an LSP configuration functions after a restart, we verify that the server starts and that tools respond to queries. This approach confirms the solution works before the user attempts validation.