Primitive of the day · 2026-10-23

no-test-runner-manual-gate

If a checkpoint script detects no test runner, it must not silently pass: emit a warning and block on explicit human confirmation of manual verification before the loop continues.

When this applies

An automated checkpoint step tries to run tests but finds no recognizable test configuration in the repo.

Preconditions

• Runner detection (pytest config, package.json, Makefile, etc.) has found nothing
• A human is present to perform and confirm manual verification

Do this

Print an explicit 'no test runner detected' warning and pause for interactive confirmation that manual verification was done; only proceed on that confirmation — never treat absence of tests as a green result.

What you should see

Every checkpoint is verified by tests or by an explicit, logged human check — never by default.

How it fails if ignored

The human confirms reflexively without verifying; in unattended runs the pause hangs forever (should abort instead).

Do not use when

A test command is detectable or explicitly configured; fully unattended pipelines (which should fail hard instead of prompting).

Kind: failsafe. Part of the skill Legacy refactor chunk checkpoint. Free to reuse in your own agent skills.