Template

Treat done as an evidence object

Done is not a green check mark. It is a set of claims someone must be able to inspect.

When it fits

An agent can mark work complete faster than a reviewer can tell whether it is actually ready for the next stage.

When to avoid it

Do not add fields nobody uses. The object is valuable only when its evidence and ownership change real workflow decisions.

A template to use

Artifact: {artifact}
Scope: {scope}
Rubric: {rubric}
Evidence: {evidence}
Verified by: {verifier}
Approved by: {authority}
Residual risk: {risk}
Next action / owner: {next}

Why it matters

Represent completion with the artifact, scope, acceptance rubric, evidence, verifier, approval authority, residual risk and next owner. Different levels of done can then mean produced, reviewed, approved, merged or deployed without collapsing them into one status.

An example

A coding agent finishes a migration. The object says tests passed, the schema diff was reviewed, rollback remains untested, and the release owner is still a human maintainer.

Check your result

A person can distinguish what exists, what was verified, who may approve it and what still happens next.

Keep this limit in mind

Do not add fields nobody uses. The object is valuable only when its evidence and ownership change real workflow decisions.

Connected ideas

Evidence and sources

Supports

Agent completion can be represented as structured claims about artifact, scope, evidence, rubric, verification, approval, residual risk and next ownership rather than one Boolean status.

The exact fields should match the workflow; adding completion metadata without enforceable review or ownership can become administrative noise.

What Does Done Even Mean? Agents and Paperclip's Liveness Model · 0:50-6:40, completion contents and levels, done as an object, independent verifier and explicit next owner

All sources (1)

What Does Done Even Mean? Agents and Paperclip's Liveness Model