No-Mocking Validation Gates

When to use this skill

Load this skill whenever the urge to mock rises: a flaky API, a slow dependency, a dev DB that isn't up, "we just need a quick test". Those are all real problems, but mocks solve them by hiding reality. This skill shows the pattern for fixing the real system instead.

Handles: blocking mock/test file creation, detecting mock code patterns, redirecting to real validation. Does NOT handle: how to validate once you're committed (functional-validation), evidence examination (gate-validation-discipline).

The Iron Rule

Mocking creates false confidence. Mock drift is the silent killer:

Jan:  API returns {"data": [...]}              Mock returns {"data": [...]}        MATCH
Mar:  API adds {"data": [...], "meta": {...}}  Mock still returns {"data": [...]}  DRIFT
Jun:  Prod: code crashes on missing "meta"     Tests: still green                  BUG SHIPPED