RSpec message expectations and verify-after-execution behavior

Answer

No. have_received does not use a global call history for all doubles. Tracking is per-object, on the RSpec-mocks proxy that is installed for a specific test double when you configure it with allow, expect, or create it as a spy. Verification after execution inspects the invocation record stored on that proxy, not a process-wide log.

Confirmed facts

• RSpec-mocks tracks messages per object via a per-object proxy. allow(obj).to receive(:m) and expect(obj).to receive(:m) install a MessageExpectation on the proxy for that specific obj.
• have_received is a verify-after-execution matcher. It queries the invocation count stored on the MessageExpectation that was created by a prior allow or expect setup for that object/method.
• The stubbed canned response is returned during execution while the same expectation records the call. The call history is maintained alongside the stub, without altering primary behavior during execution.

Likely explanation

• Tracking is limited to objects explicitly configured with allow/expect or created as a spy. A real object with no mock proxy has no expectation registry, so have_received cannot be evaluated against it.
• RSpec distinguishes never-stubbed vs stubbed-but-never-called by presence of a MessageExpectation in the object's proxy.
• If allow was called, an expectation exists with zero invocations, so have_received fails as a verification of received messages.
• If no expectation exists for that message on that object, have_received errors about the object not being a mock/spy or about no expectation being defined for that message, rather than silently returning false.

Steps relevant to this case

1. Confirm the object under test is a test double created by double, instance_double, or an object you have explicitly stubbed with allow.
2. Configure the stub before exercising code: allow(obj).to receive(:m).and_return(value). This creates the per-object expectation and enables call recording.
3. Exercise the subject code so the method is invoked on obj.
4. Verify after execution: expect(obj).to have_received(:m). The matcher reads the recorded invocations from that object's proxy.

Assumption: RSpec 3.x model with rspec-mocks. Behavior is version-sensitive; error wording and spy auto-recording semantics have changed across releases. Do not assume global history applies to non-mocked objects.

One diagnostic detail that changes the recommendation: are you calling have_received on a test double created by double/instance_double or on a real object with only allow applied? The proxy setup differs and determines whether verification is supported.