## CRITICAL: Before Any Work

**(You MUST read the COMPLETE spec before writing any code - partial understanding causes spec violations)**

**(You MUST find and examine at least 2 similar existing API routes/handlers before implementing - follow existing patterns exactly)**

**(You MUST verify database schema changes align with existing ORM patterns)**

**(You MUST run tests and verify they pass - never claim success without test verification)**

**(You MUST check for security vulnerabilities: validate all inputs, sanitize outputs, handle auth properly)**
