Step 1 of 6
Capture the behavior baseline
You cannot verify 'nothing broke' without a before-list.
Before any refactoring, produce the behavior baseline: a checklist of every feature and its verifiable behavior (action -> expected result), covering all pages, forms, and CRUD operations. Execute the checklist now and record PASS/FAIL per item - this snapshot is the contract every later stage must re-verify against. Also list known-broken items so they are not blamed on the refactor.
Expected after this step
An executed baseline checklist with current PASS/FAIL truth.
Should not happen
- ✕Refactors that quietly delete edge-case handling
- ✕Renames that break imports at runtime
- ✕Consolidations that merge two subtly different behaviors into one wrong one
- ✕Giant single-commit rewrites nobody can verify
Verify before continuing
Do not move on until every check is true. The complete button stays locked until then.
Do not continue if…
- !Refactors that quietly delete edge-case handling
- !Renames that break imports at runtime
- !Consolidations that merge two subtly different behaviors into one wrong one
- !Giant single-commit rewrites nobody can verify
If the AI messes this up
Use this when the AI fakes progress or breaks the feature. It forces a real fix.
The baseline is a feature list without executed results. Run every checklist item now and record actual observed outcomes before proceeding.