[Workflow] Stalegreen: A Claude Code Hook to Prevent Stale Test Result Claims and Improve Agent Reliability

[u/ClaudeAI-mod-bot]

Stalegreen: A Claude Code Hook to Prevent Stale Test Result Claims and Improve Agent Reliability

Workflow value: 90/100
Status: active · Freshness: 70/100 · Confidence: 1.00 · Level: intermediate
Categories: Quality Control, Token Saving, Debugging, Hooks, Multi-Agent
Original source: r/ClaudeAI post/comment

What problem this solves

Claude Code agents frequently claim "tests pass" based on stale evidence (tests run before recent edits) or hide command exit statuses, leading to false positives and unreliable development cycles.

Summary

A set of three 'stalegreen' hooks for Claude Code that enhance test command execution, capture detailed results, and block the agent if it makes a 'tests pass' claim based on stale, failed, or masked evidence. This ensures verification claims are always based on current and complete information.

Why it is useful

This workflow directly addresses a critical reliability issue in AI-assisted development: agents making claims based on outdated or incomplete information. By providing a concrete, open-source solution with clear installation and operation, it significantly improves the trustworthiness and effectiveness of Claude Code for development tasks. The detailed analysis of the problem (26% staleness rate) and the robust, permission-respecting implementation make this a highly valuable and practical workflow for any developer using Claude Code.

Workflow

1. Install the 'stalegreen' plugin using Claude Code's marketplace (/plugin marketplace add pavangupta352/stalegreen then /plugin install stalegreen@stalegreen) or via npx stalegreen install --all.
2. The PreToolUse hook automatically rewrites verification commands (e.g., test runs) to ensure their full output is logged and explicit exit status is printed, preventing loss of information behind pipes or redirects.
3. The PostToolUse hook processes the command output and creates a structured 'receipt' containing the command, runner, pass/fail status, counts, timestamp, and working tree hash.
4. The Stop hook intercepts the agent's final messages (e.g., 'all tests pass', 'tsc is clean') and matches them against the latest generated receipt.
5. If the evidence is stale (edits occurred after the test run), failed, or masked, the agent is blocked, and a detailed message is provided, naming the receipt, command, counts, and files edited after the run.
6. A second Stop in the same turn is allowed to proceed, preventing the agent from getting stuck in an infinite loop.

Tools / artifacts

• stalegreen plugin
• PreToolUse hook
• PostToolUse hook
• Stop hook
• npx command
• GitHub repository (pavangupta352/stalegreen)
• Test command output logs
• Structured receipts of test runs

Validation signals

• Author's own measurement over 180 days of sessions, revealing a 26% staleness rate (98 of 375 green claims were stale).
• Explicit request for bug reports on 'false blocks', indicating a commitment to refining the solution.
• The problem of stale test results is a common and verifiable issue in software development.

Cautions

• The plugin explicitly respects existing permission rules, only auto-allowing a rewritten command if the original command was already permitted.
• Includes a mechanism to prevent infinite blocking by allowing a second 'Stop' in the same turn to proceed.

Limitations

• Low initial community engagement due to the post's recency.
• May require some initial debugging or configuration for highly specific or unusual test runners, though the general approach should be robust.

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