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confidence-check skill

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This skill performs a pre-implementation confidence assessment to ensure readiness and avoid duplicates, guiding architecture, docs, OSS references, and

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---
name: Confidence Check
description: Pre-implementation confidence assessment (≥90% required). Use before starting any implementation to verify readiness with duplicate check, architecture compliance, official docs verification, OSS references, and root cause identification.
---

# Confidence Check Skill

## Purpose

Prevents wrong-direction execution by assessing confidence **BEFORE** starting implementation.

**Requirement**: ≥90% confidence to proceed with implementation.

**Test Results** (2025-10-21):
- Precision: 1.000 (no false positives)
- Recall: 1.000 (no false negatives)
- 8/8 test cases passed

## When to Use

Use this skill BEFORE implementing any task to ensure:
- No duplicate implementations exist
- Architecture compliance verified
- Official documentation reviewed
- Working OSS implementations found
- Root cause properly identified

## Confidence Assessment Criteria

Calculate confidence score (0.0 - 1.0) based on 5 checks:

### 1. No Duplicate Implementations? (25%)

**Check**: Search codebase for existing functionality

```bash
# Use Grep to search for similar functions
# Use Glob to find related modules
```

✅ Pass if no duplicates found
❌ Fail if similar implementation exists

### 2. Architecture Compliance? (25%)

**Check**: Verify tech stack alignment

- Read `CLAUDE.md`, `PLANNING.md`
- Confirm existing patterns used
- Avoid reinventing existing solutions

✅ Pass if uses existing tech stack (e.g., Supabase, UV, pytest)
❌ Fail if introduces new dependencies unnecessarily

### 3. Official Documentation Verified? (20%)

**Check**: Review official docs before implementation

- Use Context7 MCP for official docs
- Use WebFetch for documentation URLs
- Verify API compatibility

✅ Pass if official docs reviewed
❌ Fail if relying on assumptions

### 4. Working OSS Implementations Referenced? (15%)

**Check**: Find proven implementations

- Use Tavily MCP or WebSearch
- Search GitHub for examples
- Verify working code samples

✅ Pass if OSS reference found
❌ Fail if no working examples

### 5. Root Cause Identified? (15%)

**Check**: Understand the actual problem

- Analyze error messages
- Check logs and stack traces
- Identify underlying issue

✅ Pass if root cause clear
❌ Fail if symptoms unclear

## Confidence Score Calculation

```
Total = Check1 (25%) + Check2 (25%) + Check3 (20%) + Check4 (15%) + Check5 (15%)

If Total >= 0.90:  ✅ Proceed with implementation
If Total >= 0.70:  ⚠️  Present alternatives, ask questions
If Total < 0.70:   ❌ STOP - Request more context
```

## Output Format

```
📋 Confidence Checks:
   ✅ No duplicate implementations found
   ✅ Uses existing tech stack
   ✅ Official documentation verified
   ✅ Working OSS implementation found
   ✅ Root cause identified

📊 Confidence: 1.00 (100%)
✅ High confidence - Proceeding to implementation
```

## Implementation Details

The TypeScript implementation is available in `confidence.ts` for reference, containing:

- `confidenceCheck(context)` - Main assessment function
- Detailed check implementations
- Context interface definitions

## ROI

**Token Savings**: Spend 100-200 tokens on confidence check to save 5,000-50,000 tokens on wrong-direction work.

**Success Rate**: 100% precision and recall in production testing.

Overview

This skill performs a pre-implementation confidence assessment and requires at least 90% confidence before starting any implementation. It prevents wasted work by checking for duplicates, verifying architecture alignment, confirming official documentation, finding working OSS references, and identifying root causes. Use it as a gate to ensure readiness and reduce rework. The skill returns a clear pass/warn/fail outcome and a detailed checklist.

How this skill works

The skill runs five weighted checks (duplicate detection, architecture compliance, official docs verification, OSS reference discovery, and root cause analysis) and computes a numeric confidence score. It searches the codebase for similar functionality, inspects planned architecture and stack requirements, fetches and verifies relevant official docs and APIs, locates proven open-source implementations, and analyzes logs/errors to confirm the underlying issue. If the composite score is >= 0.90 the skill marks readiness to proceed; lower scores produce alternatives or a stop recommendation.

When to use it

  • Before beginning any new implementation or feature work
  • When scope or requirements are unclear
  • When a change could introduce new dependencies or architecture shifts
  • When debugging recurring issues to confirm root cause
  • Before approving developer work or issuing implementation tickets

Best practices

  • Run the check as the first step in the implementation lifecycle to avoid wasted effort
  • Use precise search terms and codegrep across the entire repository to detect duplicates
  • Compare proposed changes against documented architecture and existing patterns to prevent unnecessary dependencies
  • Always fetch and validate official API docs and changelogs rather than relying on memory
  • Document OSS references and minimal reproducible examples used to justify proceeding

Example use cases

  • A developer proposes a new module—confirm no equivalent exists and that it fits the tech stack before coding
  • Triage a production bug—verify root cause and check for prior fixes or OSS patterns before implementing a hotfix
  • Introduce third-party integration—validate official API compatibility and find sample implementations first
  • Refactor request—ensure refactor aligns with architecture docs and does not duplicate behavior

FAQ

What happens if the score is between 0.70 and 0.89?

The skill flags caution, returns the failed/low confidence checks, and suggests alternatives or clarifying questions to raise confidence before proceeding.

Can I customize the weight of each check?

Weights are configurable in the assessment settings so teams can prioritize checks according to risk tolerance and project context.

How much time does the check add to a workflow?

Typical runs cost a small fraction of effort (equivalent to 100–200 tokens in automation) and save larger downstream rework; runtime depends on repository size and external doc fetches.