Why an Empty Test Result Should Not Count as a Pass

The article argues that a test run producing no output means no evidence was collected, so the outcome should be labeled inconclusive rather than passed. A pass is a positive claim requiring that a command executed and showed the behavior holds, which an empty result does not provide. Missing scripts, unrun branches, or unavailable dependencies are common causes that point to process gaps instead of clean code. Treating silence as success can hide defects, especially with AI-generated code where confident summaries may imply verification that never occurred. The recommended approach is to keep gaps visible, mark items as unverified, and close them by adding runnable checks that produce captured output.