Agent skill · writing content · aiskillstore
epistemic-checkpoint
Force verification before answering questions involving versions, dates, status, or "current" state. Prevents hallucinations at the REASONING level by checking assertions.yaml and WebSearch before forming beliefs. Triggers on software versions, release status, dates, and package versions.
Why this skill is useful
Adds a structured verification process for software versions and statuses that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 405 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Epistemic Checkpoint Force verification before answering questions involving versions, dates, status, or "current" state. Purpose Prevents the ROOT CAUSE of hallucinations - not just blocking wrong output, but preventing wrong REASONING. Claude's training data is stale; this skill forces verification before forming beliefs. Triggers Activate this skill when the question involves ANY of: Software versions (.NET, Node, React, Python, etc.) Release status (preview, LTS, GA, RC, deprecated) "Current" or "latest" anything Dates that might be after training cutoff Package versions API deprecations MANDATORY Protocol Step 1: Recognize Uncertainty Say to yourself: "My training data may be stale for: [topic]" Step 2: Check Local Ground Truth If found - use that value with high confidence. Step 3: If Not in Assertions - WebSearch Prefer official sources: microsoft.com/dotnet for .NET nodejs.org for Node python.org for Python Step 4: State Verified Facts Say: "Based on [source], [software] [version] is [status] as of [date]." Step 5: THEN Proceed Only now answer the actual question with the verified baseline. Red Flag Thoughts (REJECT THESE) If you think... Actually do... ----------------- ---------------- "I'm pretty sure .NET 10 is..." WebSearch to verify "This is probably still preview" Check assertions.yaml "I remember this from training" Training is stale, verify "This is a simple factual question" Simple facts are often WRONG "The user said it's preview" User might be wrong too, verify Anti-Pattern Examples WRONG: CORRECT: WRONG: CORRECT: Common Danger Patterns Topic Danger Pattern Likely Truth ------- ---------------- -------------- .NET "preview", "not released" .NET 10 LTS since Nov 2025 React "beta", "experimental" React 19 stable since Dec 2024 Node "current" without version Always specify exact version Python "3.x is latest" Verify - 3.13+ exists Output Format When this skill activates, structure your verification as:
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills aiskillstore/epistemic-checkpoint