# Done means verified live

A fix is not done at commit, at merge, or at deploy. Done is a live check in production, named in the closing message.

From the [Tips & tricks](../index.md#tips) section of [The Muse Field Guide](../index.md).

## The move

Done means verified live, in production, doing the thing it was built to do. Every earlier stage is a progress report, not a completion.

## When to use it

Every time the agent closes work. The closing message should name the live check performed, not the steps taken. Merged is a claim; true is one live check away, and the check is the job.

## Steps

1. Name the production behavior the work was supposed to change.
2. Exercise it once, live, after the deploy.
3. Close the item only with that check as the evidence.
4. If the check cannot run yet, say so and leave the item open.

## The gotcha

Closing at commit erases the debt from the tracker while the work is still owed. The tracker then agrees with the claim, and both are wrong.

## Where this came from

A committed and merged fix "rode the next shell cargo" that was never scheduled, while its tracking item was closed at commit time, erasing the debt. The chat's verdict became standing law: a fix is not done at commit.

Deep dive: [Practices and tips: the resource core](../deep-dives/practices.md)

Related resources: [ship: the one-word closing ritual](ship.md), [Verify uptake by claims, not status](verify-uptake-by-claims.md), [Spot-check every background number](spot-check-background-numbers.md)

Canonical page: https://www.niclydon.io/muse/items/done-means-verified-live.html