How verification works
What 'verified' actually means in a MadMax build: real test runs, semantic judgment, capture windows for real samples, previews for sends, and human sign-off.
Most AI builders stop at "the graph looks right." MadMax's bar is higher: a step is verified only when it has run on realistic data and its output content was judged correct. This page is what that means mechanically.
The proof ladder
Different steps need different proofs; the walk picks the strongest one available:
- Fixture runs — read-safe steps (logic, transforms, AI steps) actually execute against realistic inputs; branch steps get both branches exercised. The output is judged semantically — an AI step that returns an empty object fails, even though nothing crashed.
- Real captures — trigger steps verify against a real sample: the webhook URL gets a test delivery, the form gets one submission, the upload gets one file. The sample window opens right in the chat when it's your move.
- Previews — steps that would send externally (Slack posts, emails, API writes) are verified by previewing the exact request without sending it. Nothing fires for real until activation.
- Human sign-off — approvals, and any step the walk couldn't converge on, land on you as a visible ask.
When only a human can provide the proof, the row says exactly what it needs.
What the canvas tells you
- Faded node — planned, not yet proven (only plan-linked steps fade; your manual drops stay solid).
- Amber ring — the step being verified right now.
- Green check on the row — proof landed.
- Red halo — the last run of that step failed; fixing the config clears it on the next pass.
Proof revocation
Evidence is honest: editing a verified step revokes its proof. The row demotes, the walk re-verifies it, and downstream steps whose inputs changed re-verify too. That's not friction — it's the reason the green checks are trustworthy.
Bounded, never endless
The walk retries failures with fixes, but every loop is bounded: a step that keeps failing the same way stops burning turns and becomes a question ask instead. If the whole walk stalls, a watchdog surfaces every unfinished row as an ask — silence is never an end state.
FAQ
Did my Slack message actually send during the build? No — external sends verify by preview. The first real send happens after you activate.
Why did a green step turn gray again? You (or an edit) touched it — proof revoked, re-verify queued.
Where to go next
- Build mode & the plan
- Testing before activation — the same machinery, driven by hand.