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

Metric	Value
Stage	Beta
Target	Rust (any platform)
Last verified	2026-01-23

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

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Author

[Waiting for human input]

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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

Attribute	Type	Description
protects	string	What user scenario this check protects
severity	string	CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, or LOW
cheats	array	List of ways to cheat this check
consequence	string	What users experience when cheated

License

MIT