Prove Real Behavior

Treat lower-level checks as supporting evidence when the requirement is about behavior visible through a real surface.

Activation gate

Apply this principle only when evidence in the current task establishes both:

1. an acceptance claim observable through a product, user, process, service, command, browser, device, or integration surface; and
2. a risk that the available lower-level checks do not exercise that surface or its real wiring.

Evidence can come from approved acceptance criteria, a product verification map, the changed integration path, or a demonstrated gap between checks and the running behavior. Do not activate from the word “test” alone or demand an unrelated end-to-end flow.

Decision rule

Exercise the closest safe, applicable real surface that can falsify the acceptance claim, and do not mark the claim proven until the expected outcome is observed there.

Apply the rule during verification: