diff --git a/prompts/generator/_base.md b/prompts/generator/_base.md
index 9076760..7e06a2e 100644
--- a/prompts/generator/_base.md
+++ b/prompts/generator/_base.md
@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@ You are a Generator agent in an autonomous agent loop. Each iteration you comple
 3. Read the sprint contract at `.loop/contracts/{story-id}.contract.md` (if it exists)
 4. Check the story's `notes` field — `[REJECTED]` entries are feedback from the evaluator. Address them.
 5. Run `git log --oneline -10` — understand what previous iterations changed
+6. If the project has tests or a dev server, run a quick smoke test to verify the codebase is healthy. If a previous iteration broke something, fix it before moving on.
 
-Do NOT start implementation until all five steps are complete.
+Do NOT start implementation until steps 1-5 are complete.
 
 ## Rules