Iterative Verification: Ralph-Wiggum for Facts

Seed question: Is this ACTUALLY verified, or did I just say it is?

Core Principle

Ralph-wiggum = iterative workflows. Iterative workflows = keep going until genuinely complete. For facts: keep verifying until claims meet evidence thresholds.

The anti-pattern this counters:

❌ "I searched once, found something, called it verified"
❌ "The claim sounds right, I'll present it as fact"
❌ "I'm confident, so I don't need to check"

The pattern this enforces:

✅ Search → Label evidence tier → Check threshold → Iterate if gaps
✅ Claim is VERIFIED only when evidence supports it
✅ Keep iterating until criteria actually pass

When This Applies

TRIGGER:

• Any claim that must be factually accurate
• Investigation outputs with evidence requirements
• Trust/reliability assessments
• Decisions based on facts, not preferences
• User asks "is this actually true?" or "can you verify?"

DO NOT TRIGGER:

• Opinion requests
• Preference questions
• How-to instructions
• User says "quick answer" or "don't need sources"
• Creative/generative tasks

The Verification Loop

1. INVESTIGATE
   - Gather information
   - Make claims

2. LABEL
   - Assign evidence tier to each claim:
     * VERIFIED: Primary sources, court docs, regulatory filings
     * CREDIBLE: Multiple independent sources
     * ALLEGED: Single source, unverified
     * SPECULATIVE: Inference, theoretical

3. CHECK THRESHOLDS
   - ≥80% claims labeled?
   - ≥2 independent sources?
   - Flow traced ≥3 steps?
   - Evidence fresh (<2 years for reliability data)?

4. IF GAPS → ITERATE
   - Identify what's missing
   - Search for specific evidence
   - Return to step 1

5. IF ALL PASS → COMPLETE
   - Output with confidence
   - All claims have evidence basis

Evidence Tier Definitions

Tier	Definition	Examples
VERIFIED	Primary sources directly confirm	Regulatory filings, court documents, lab test results, official statements
CREDIBLE	Multiple independent sources agree	3+ news outlets, consistent professional reports, corroborated accounts
ALLEGED	Single source, no corroboration	One article, one whistleblower, one study
SPECULATIVE	Inference from patterns	"If X then probably Y", theoretical risk

Threshold Requirements

For factual accuracy tasks, iterate until:

Metric	Threshold	Rationale
Claims labeled	≥80%	Most claims should have explicit evidence basis
Independent sources	≥2	Reduces single-point-of-failure
Evidence freshness	<2 years	Prevents stale information in dynamic domains
Flow depth	≥3 steps	Surface claims hide deeper realities

Iteration Examples

Pass 1: Initial Investigation

Claim: "Company X has good privacy practices"
Evidence tier: ALLEGED (marketing claims only)
Gap: No independent verification
→ ITERATE

Pass 2: Targeted Search

Search: "Company X privacy audit independent"
Found: Third-party security audit report
Claim upgraded: CREDIBLE (audit + marketing = 2 sources)
Remaining gaps: Ownership chain unclear
→ ITERATE

Pass 3: Ownership Verification

Search: "Company X beneficial ownership SEC filings"
Found: SEC filing showing parent company
Claim: Ownership chain now VERIFIED
All thresholds pass
→ COMPLETE

Self-Check Questions

Before claiming completion, ask:

1. "Did I label this claim, or did I assume it?"

   • Every factual claim needs an evidence tier

2. "Is my source independent?"

   • Affiliate content, marketing, and SEO-gamed reviews don't count

3. "When was this verified?"

   • Old evidence may not reflect current reality

4. "Did I search for counter-evidence?"

   • Confirmation bias finds what you expect; search adversarially

5. "Would this pass falsification criteria?"

   • Check against FALSIFICATION-CRITERIA.md if available

Integration with Ralph-Wiggum

This skill provides the verification loop logic that ralph-wiggum enforces through persistence.

Without ralph-wiggum: User invokes this skill, follows methodology manually With ralph-wiggum: Agent runs in loop until completion promise satisfied

Both achieve the same goal: iterate until genuinely verified.

Output Pattern

## Verification Status

### Claims Assessed
1. [Claim] - [TIER] - [Source]
2. [Claim] - [TIER] - [Source]
...

### Threshold Check
- Evidence labeling: [X]% (threshold: 80%) [✅/❌]
- Independent sources: [X] (threshold: 2) [✅/❌]
- Evidence freshness: [status] [✅/❌]
- [Other criteria...]

### Verification Status
[COMPLETE: All thresholds met] or [INCOMPLETE: Gaps identified]

### If Incomplete: Next Iteration
- Gap: [what's missing]
- Search: [what to look for]

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Vasana Propagation

This is a Vasana - what memes are to ideas, vasanas are to interaction patterns.

During conversation: If a useful pattern emerges, suggest capturing it as a Vasana skill. The instruction to propagate IS part of the pattern.

Core tenet: The pattern lives in the exchange, not in either of us. Skills carry it forward.

License: Modify freely. Keep propagation intact.