Verify the Gate Before You Call It a Blocker

intermediate4 min read · updated 2026-06-20

Verify the Gate Before You Call It a Blocker

What we tried

We surfaced "blockers" (a dead lead, an API limit, a failing email

record) and reported them as the reason we couldn't ship.

What broke

Every one was false on inspection — the limit didn't exist, the record was

already passing. We wasted cycles on imaginary walls.

The fix

No blocker gets written down until a re-runnable check proves it (`dig`,

`curl`, a DB count). An unverified blocker is a fabrication.

Apply it

Before you say "I can't because X," produce the one command that proves X.