when-detecting-fake-code-use-theater-detection

# Theater Code Detection ## When to Use This Skill **Trigger Conditions:** - Before merging AI-generated code into main branch - When code review reveals suspiciously complete implementations - After detecting inconsistencies between documentation and behavior - As pre-deployment quality gate for critical systems - When integrating third-party or unfamiliar code - During security audits to identify fake security measures **Situations Requiring Theater Detection:** - Code that compiles but doesn't execute meaningful logic - Functions with proper signatures but no-op implementations - Tests that always pass regardless of code changes - Security checks that can be bypassed trivially - Error handling that catches but doesn't handle errors - Mock implementations accidentally left in production code ## Overview Theater code is code that "performs" correctness without delivering actual functionality. It passes static analysis, looks structurally sound, and may even have tests—but fails to implement the intended behavior. This skill systematically identifies theater code through pattern recognition, execution analysis, and behavioral validation. The detection process scans codebases for suspicious patterns (empty catch blocks, no-op functions, always-passing tests), analyzes implementations for meaningful logic, executes code to validate actual behavior, and reports findings with actionable recommendations for remediation. ## Phase 1: Scan Codebase (Parallel) **Agents**: code...