# Phase 8: Retroactive Phase Verification (02 & 03) - Context

**Gathered:** 2026-03-23
**Status:** Ready for planning
**Mode:** Auto-generated (infrastructure phase — discuss skipped)

<domain>
## Phase Boundary

Create missing VERIFICATION.md files for Phase 02 (Core VM Lifecycle) and Phase 03 (SSH Execution), providing the 3-source evidence required to mark CLUS-01..07 and EXEC-01..03 as satisfied at milestone level. Both phases were implemented and tested but verification reports were never written; this phase closes the audit gap retroactively.

</domain>

<decisions>
## Implementation Decisions

### the agent's Discretion
All implementation choices are at the agent's discretion — gap-closure documentation phase. Use the established VERIFICATION.md format from phases 4/5/6/7 as canonical reference. Specific decisions:

- Follow identical YAML frontmatter + table format as 07-VERIFICATION.md
- Include per-plan must-have truth tables (one per plan) alongside roadmap SC table
- Map each SC to 3-source evidence: code location (file:line or function) + test file + test name
- Initial `status` field: `passed` if no gaps found, `human_needed` if live-VM SCs cannot be statically verified
- Include human_verification section for any SCs that require live VM state
- Note which REQUIREMENTS.md IDs each SC satisfies (CLUS-01..07, EXEC-01..03) inline in evidence

</decisions>

<code_context>
## Existing Code Insights

### Reusable Assets
- Existing VERIFICATION.md format: `.planning/phases/07-network-node-fault-injection/07-VERIFICATION.md` — canonical reference
- Phase 2 summaries: `.planning/phases/02-core-vm-lifecycle/02-01-SUMMARY.md` through `02-04-SUMMARY.md`
- Phase 3 summaries: `.planning/phases/03-ssh-execution/03-01-SUMMARY.md` through `03-03-SUMMARY.md`
- Source code: `vmcluster_mcp/cluster/` — libvirt_client, domain_builder, network_builder, cloud_init
- Source code: `vmcluster_mcp/exec/ssh.py` — SSH execution and reconnection
- Tests: `tests/test_cluster_*.py`, `tests/test_libvirt_client.py`, `tests/test_ssh_client.py`, `tests/test_node_exec*.py`

### Established Patterns
- VERIFICATION.md uses YAML frontmatter with: phase, verified, status, score, gaps, human_verification
- SC table columns: # | Truth | Status | Evidence
- Plan must-have truth tables: one section per plan with inline evidence citations
- 3-source evidence format: implementation file + test file + test name

### Integration Points
- REQUIREMENTS.md traceability table: CLUS-01..07 and EXEC-01..03 entries need `status: Complete`
- Phase 2 and 3 summaries may need `requirements_completed` frontmatter added (Phase 9 task, but note here)

</code_context>

<specifics>
## Specific Ideas

- Phase 8 plans are already defined in ROADMAP.md:
  - 08-01-PLAN.md: Audit Phase 02 codebase vs success criteria; write 02-VERIFICATION.md
  - 08-02-PLAN.md: Audit Phase 03 codebase vs success criteria; write 03-VERIFICATION.md
- Evidence must satisfy "3-source" standard to mark requirements as satisfied at milestone level

</specifics>

<deferred>
## Deferred Ideas

- Updating REQUIREMENTS.md checkboxes (CLUS-01..07, EXEC-01..03) — handled in Phase 9
- Adding `requirements_completed` frontmatter to Phase 2/3 summaries — handled in Phase 9

</deferred>
