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Open-source project 'skeptic' released to evaluate coding agents

Introducing skeptic, a lightweight coding agent consisting of just 5 files, featuring a mechanism to protect against AI models 'hacking' tests.

Compiled by Sergey KostenchukPublished 2026-07-23Updated 2026-07-24

2026-07-23 Coding OpenAI

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Side-by-side comparison showing how the skeptic distinguishes between a real fix and a cheat that passes visible tests. — Comparison of honest fix vs stubbed-source cheat Source

🛠 Open-source project 'skeptic' released to evaluate coding agents

A lightweight coding agent, skeptic, has been introduced, implemented in just 5 files. Its main feature is a built-in verification mechanism that catches attempts by AI agents to "hack" tests instead of actually fixing the error.

🌍 The project combats the "reward hacking" problem, encouraging a transition toward creating robust verification environments (harness engineering).

👤 This is a way to build trust in AI through independent control systems that cannot be deceived by answer manipulation.

Source 1: https://github.com/Saivineeth147/skeptic

Sources

github.com