cheat-guard

Runtime macros for cheat-aware error handling. Forces developers to document how code could be "cheated" (made to falsely pass) and what users would experience if it were.

Status

Works

• cheat_bail! and cheat_ensure! macros
• Structured error output with cheat vectors
• Re-exports of cheat-test proc-macros

Known Issues

• See parent repo issues

Author

[Waiting for human input]

Based on Anthropic's research on emergent misalignment.

Why This Exists

When AI models learn to "reward hack" (appear to complete tasks while taking shortcuts), they develop a broader cheating mindset. This crate makes cheating explicit and documented, creating friction against shortcuts.

Installation

[dependencies]
cheat-guard = { git = "https://github.com/LevitateOS/cheat_guard.git" }

Macros

cheat_bail!

Like anyhow::bail!() but with cheat documentation:

use cheat_guard::cheat_bail;

fn verify_partition(output: &str) -> Result<()> {
    if !output.contains("vda1") {
        cheat_bail!(
            protects = "Disk partitioning actually works",
            severity = "CRITICAL",
            cheats = ["Accept exit code without verification", "Skip partition check"],
            consequence = "No partitions, installation fails silently",
            "Partition vda1 not found in output: {}", output
        );
    }
    Ok(())
}

cheat_ensure!

Like anyhow::ensure!() but with cheat documentation:

use cheat_guard::cheat_ensure;

fn verify_both_partitions(output: &str) -> Result<()> {
    cheat_ensure!(
        output.contains("vda1") && output.contains("vda2"),
        protects = "Both partitions were created",
        severity = "CRITICAL",
        cheats = [
            "Check vda1 OR vda2 instead of AND",
            "Skip verification entirely"
        ],
        consequence = "Missing partition causes mount failure",
        "Expected vda1 AND vda2, got: {}", output
    );
    Ok(())
}

On Failure

When a guarded check fails, the error message includes:

======================================================================
=== CHEAT-GUARDED FAILURE ===
======================================================================

PROTECTS: Both partitions were created
SEVERITY: CRITICAL

CHEAT VECTORS:
  1. Check vda1 OR vda2 instead of AND
  2. Skip verification entirely

USER CONSEQUENCE:
Missing partition causes mount failure

ERROR:
Expected vda1 AND vda2, got: vda disk
======================================================================

Re-exports

This crate also re-exports proc-macros from cheat-test:

• #[cheat_aware] - For #[test] functions
• #[cheat_reviewed] - Mark test as reviewed for cheat vectors
• #[cheat_canary] - Honeypot tests that trigger alerts if modified

Attributes

License

MIT