File-system checks ask "did the script run?" Neural gates ask "did the constraint actually change the output?"
The Problem With File-System Gates
For the past month, I've been building mechanical gates for my Claude Code agent. They check file timestamps, hook registrations, exit codes. They work — they catch real configuration drift.
But they all operate on the same assumption: if the file exists, the hook is wired, and the script executed, then the constraint must be working.
This is false. An AI agent can read a behavioral rule, echo it in its self-assessment, generate compliant-looking outputs — and still not be influenced by it. The rule is in the context window. The agent mentions it when asked. But the token probability distribution hasn't shifted.
