What it is
The Truth Engine is not a vibe checker. It is a narrow set of deterministic refusal conditions aimed at the exact places where agentic systems tend to lie with high confidence: saying “done” without evidence, silently corrupting files, losing tree state in merge operations, waving through shallow audits, and claiming a large task was completed with implausibly little code.
The audit stays narrow on purpose. It does not debate tone. It checks whether the run can cite proof, preserve files, survive merge, defend the audit posture, and justify the delivery delta.
Why these five
Each guard maps to a concrete recurring failure mode. `file_line_required` stops mission-complete prose that outruns the diff. `path_marker_corruption` catches broken writes. `post_merge_tree_check` spots destructive branch loss. `completionist_skeptic` reads like due diligence instead of reassurance. `delivery_ratio` forces a written explanation when the estimate and delivery diverge sharply.
What the operator gets
The point is bounded skepticism. The operator does not get a vague warning or a “double check this” nudge. The operator gets a refusal with a narrow reason, the evidence types that were missing, and the exact class of failure that fired.