Verify uptake by claims, not status
Work is real when a work product or a recorded claim exists under the worker's name. A status that says working proves nothing.
The move
Work is real when there is a work product or a recorded claim under the worker's name. The household rule for delegated work is that a dispatch counts only when a claim or a deliverable exists under that runner.
When to use it
Whenever the agent delegates, dispatches, or reports progress on work it did not do in front of you. The Muse equivalent: when the agent says a file was written, a job scheduled, or a message sent, ask for the read-back, or have it shown unprompted.
Steps
- Ask what artifact or claim proves the work started.
- Read the artifact back, or have the worker show it.
- Treat a status string as a claim to verify, never as evidence.
The gotcha
Status text is generated by the same system that generates the work. It fails in the same ways, and it fails confidently.
Deep dive: Practices and tips →