The wrap-up ritual — verify the diff

Claude said done. The diff is the actual report.

One keypress turns a proposal into changed files. Here's how to make that keypress mean something.

ExitPlanMode asks you to pick a rung.

The approval prompt is the autonomy ladder: approve into auto mode, auto-accept edits, review each edit manually, or keep planning with feedback. Whichever you pick becomes the session's permission mode. Ctrl+G opens the plan in your editor first.

Against the plan — not your memory of it.

$ git status --short
 M index.html
 M style.css

$ git diff --stat
 index.html | 33 ++++++++++++++-
 style.css  | 34 +++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 66 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

The plan promised index.html and style.css, nothing else. Two files promised, two files changed.

Thirty seconds that catch the drift.

The approved plan was: <paste or restate
the plan's summary>.

Compare the working tree against that plan:
list what changed, and flag anything you did
that the plan did not mention. 6 lines max.

Every execution has drift. Make it visible.

A shared layout rule edited rather than purely added. An unplanned intro line of copy. "Only existing CSS variables" not strictly literal. None are disasters — but you decide to keep or revert them thirty seconds after the run, not next week.

Verification is not beginner caution.

The approval ritual, run twice.

• Does the plan name the files it will touch?
• Is the order of operations sane?
• Are the non-goals stated out loud?
• After execution: does the diff match, file for file?
• Run the wrap-up prompt — convert drift into a decision

One idea from one lesson.

Track 1 (23 lessons) is free.