From bc1181f5545ae62436a924d73ad37e8ca7231c56 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Tom Boucher <trekkie@nomorestars.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:52:07 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] enhancement(agents): add stub detection to verifier and
 executor (#1244)

Enhanced gsd-verifier's anti-pattern detection to catch:
- Hardcoded empty data props (={[]}, ={{}}, ={null})
- 'not available' and 'not yet implemented' placeholder text
- Data stub classification guidance (only flag when value flows
  to rendering without a data-fetching path)

Added stub tracking to gsd-executor's summary creation:
- Before writing SUMMARY, scan files for stub patterns
- Document stubs in a '## Known Stubs' section
- Block plan completion if stubs prevent the plan's goal
---
 agents/gsd-executor.md | 7 +++++++
 agents/gsd-verifier.md | 8 +++++++-
 2 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/agents/gsd-executor.md b/agents/gsd-executor.md
index 9b818becd..3a9a41a17 100644
--- a/agents/gsd-executor.md
+++ b/agents/gsd-executor.md
@@ -384,6 +384,13 @@ After all tasks complete, create `{phase}-{plan}-SUMMARY.md` at `.planning/phase
 Or: "None - plan executed exactly as written."
 
 **Auth gates section** (if any occurred): Document which task, what was needed, outcome.
+
+**Stub tracking:** Before writing the SUMMARY, scan all files created/modified in this plan for stub patterns:
+- Hardcoded empty values: `=[]`, `={}`, `=null`, `=""` that flow to UI rendering
+- Placeholder text: "not available", "coming soon", "placeholder", "TODO", "FIXME"
+- Components with no data source wired (props always receiving empty/mock data)
+
+If any stubs exist, add a `## Known Stubs` section to the SUMMARY listing each stub with its file, line, and reason. These are tracked for the verifier to catch. Do NOT mark a plan as complete if stubs exist that prevent the plan's goal from being achieved — either wire the data or document in the plan why the stub is intentional and which future plan will resolve it.
 </summary_creation>
 
 <self_check>
diff --git a/agents/gsd-verifier.md b/agents/gsd-verifier.md
index 8586213ff..63477f63e 100644
--- a/agents/gsd-verifier.md
+++ b/agents/gsd-verifier.md
@@ -306,13 +306,19 @@ Run anti-pattern detection on each file:
 ```bash
 # TODO/FIXME/placeholder comments
 grep -n -E "TODO|FIXME|XXX|HACK|PLACEHOLDER" "$file" 2>/dev/null
-grep -n -E "placeholder|coming soon|will be here" "$file" -i 2>/dev/null
+grep -n -E "placeholder|coming soon|will be here|not yet implemented|not available" "$file" -i 2>/dev/null
 # Empty implementations
 grep -n -E "return null|return \{\}|return \[\]|=> \{\}" "$file" 2>/dev/null
+# Hardcoded empty data (common stub patterns)
+grep -n -E "=\s*\[\]|=\s*\{\}|=\s*null|=\s*undefined" "$file" 2>/dev/null | grep -v -E "(test|spec|mock|fixture|\.test\.|\.spec\.)" 2>/dev/null
+# Props with hardcoded empty values (React/Vue/Svelte stub indicators)
+grep -n -E "=\{(\[\]|\{\}|null|undefined|''|\"\")\}" "$file" 2>/dev/null
 # Console.log only implementations
 grep -n -B 2 -A 2 "console\.log" "$file" 2>/dev/null | grep -E "^\s*(const|function|=>)"
 ```
 
+**Stub classification:** A grep match is a STUB only when the value flows to rendering or user-visible output AND no other code path populates it with real data. A test helper, type default, or initial state that gets overwritten by a fetch/store is NOT a stub. Check for data-fetching (useEffect, fetch, query, useSWR, useQuery, subscribe) that writes to the same variable before flagging.
+
 Categorize: 🛑 Blocker (prevents goal) | ⚠️ Warning (incomplete) | ℹ️ Info (notable)
 
 ## Step 8: Identify Human Verification Needs