diff --git a/flint-extras/src/nmod_mat_poly_extra/nmod_mat_poly_mbasis.c b/flint-extras/src/nmod_mat_poly_extra/nmod_mat_poly_mbasis.c
index bef99d21..1c737577 100644
--- a/flint-extras/src/nmod_mat_poly_extra/nmod_mat_poly_mbasis.c
+++ b/flint-extras/src/nmod_mat_poly_extra/nmod_mat_poly_mbasis.c
@@ -125,19 +125,17 @@ _PROFILER_REGION_START
     const slong n = matp->c;
 
     // initialize output approximant basis with identity
-    // except when matp == 0: return appbas = identity
+    nmod_mat_poly_one(appbas);
+
+    // if matp == 0: return
     if (nmod_mat_poly_is_zero(matp))
     {
-        nmod_mat_poly_fit_length(appbas, 1);
-        _nmod_mat_poly_set_length(appbas, 1);
-        nmod_mat_one(appbas->coeffs + 0);
 _PROFILER_REGION_STOP(t_others)
 _MBASIS_PROFILER_OUTPUT
         return;
     }
-    else
-        nmod_mat_poly_one(appbas);
-    // -> ensures matp->length > 0 in what follows
+
+    // -> in what follows, matp->length > 0
 
     // residual matrix: m x n constant matrix, next coefficient of appbas *
     // matp to be annihilated
diff --git a/flint-extras/src/nmod_poly_mat_extra/nmod_poly_mat_approximant_verification.c b/flint-extras/src/nmod_poly_mat_extra/nmod_poly_mat_approximant_verification.c
index a7d135a3..769d6a37 100644
--- a/flint-extras/src/nmod_poly_mat_extra/nmod_poly_mat_approximant_verification.c
+++ b/flint-extras/src/nmod_poly_mat_extra/nmod_poly_mat_approximant_verification.c
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 #include "nmod_poly_mat_utils.h"
 #include "nmod_poly_mat_forms.h"
+#include <flint/nmod_mat.h>
 #include <flint/nmod_poly.h>
+#include <flint/nmod_poly_mat.h>
 
+/* TODO currently specialized to ROW_LOWER (or at least ROW_stuff) */
 int nmod_poly_mat_is_approximant_basis(const nmod_poly_mat_t appbas,
                                        const nmod_poly_mat_t pmat,
                                        slong order,
@@ -9,56 +12,91 @@ int nmod_poly_mat_is_approximant_basis(const nmod_poly_mat_t appbas,
                                        orientation_t orient)
 {
     // context
-    const slong rdim = pmat->r, cdim = pmat->c;
+    const slong rdim = pmat->r;
+    const slong cdim = pmat->c;
     const ulong prime = pmat->modulus;
 
+    nmod_poly_mat_t residual;
+    nmod_poly_t pol;
+    nmod_mat_t CP0;
+
+    nmod_poly_init(pol, prime);
+    nmod_poly_mat_init(residual, rdim, cdim, prime);
+    nmod_mat_init(CP0, rdim, rdim+cdim, prime);
+
+    int success = 1;
+
     // check appbas is square with the right dimension
     if (appbas->r != rdim || appbas->c != rdim)
     {
         printf("basis has wrong row dimension or column dimension\n");
-        return 0;
+        success = 0;
     }
 
     // check appbas has form at least "form"
     if (!nmod_poly_mat_is_ordered_weak_popov(appbas, shift, orient))
     {
         printf("basis is not shifted-reduced\n");
-        return 0;
+        success = 0;
     }
 
-    // compute residual
-    nmod_poly_mat_t residual;
-    nmod_poly_mat_init(residual, rdim, cdim, prime);
-    // FIXME next line could be a multiplication truncated at order order+1
+    // compute residual, check rows of appbas are approximants
     nmod_poly_mat_mul(residual, appbas, pmat);
 
-    // check rows of appbas are approximants
-    nmod_poly_t pol;
-    nmod_poly_init(pol, prime);
     for(slong i = 0; i < rdim; i++)
+    {
         for(slong j = 0; j < cdim; j++)
         {
             nmod_poly_set_trunc(pol, nmod_poly_mat_entry(residual, i, j), order);
             if (!nmod_poly_is_zero(pol))
             {
                 printf("entry %ld, %ld of residual has valuation less than the order\n",i,j);
-                return 0;
+                success = 0;
             }
         }
-    nmod_poly_clear(pol);
-    nmod_poly_mat_clear(residual);
+    }
 
-    // TODO check generation!
+    // check generation: follows ideas from Algorithm 1 in Giorgi-Neiger, ISSAC 2018
 
-    // 
-    //slong lead_pos[rdim];
-    //nmod_poly_mat_pivot_index_shifted_rowwise(lead_pos, appbas, shift);
-    //printf("\nleading positions\n");
-    //for (slong i = 0; i < rdim; i++)
-    //    printf("%lu ", lead_pos[i]);
+    // generation, test 1: check determinant of appbas is lambda * x**D
+    // since ordered weak Popov, deg-det is sum of diagonal degrees
+    slong D = 0;
+    for (slong i = 0; i < rdim; i++)
+        D += nmod_poly_degree(nmod_poly_mat_entry(appbas, i, i));
+    nmod_poly_mat_det(pol, appbas);
+    if (nmod_poly_degree(pol) != D)
+    {
+        printf("determinant is not lambda * x**(sum(diag-deg))");
+        success = 0;
+    }
 
-    return 1;
-}
+    // generation, test 2: check that [P(0)  C] has full rank
+    // where C = (appbas * pmat * X^{-order})  mod X
+    // (coefficient "C" of degree order of the residual)
+    for (slong i = 0; i < rdim; i++)
+    {
+        for (slong j = 0; j < rdim; j++)
+        {
+            ulong c = nmod_poly_get_coeff_ui(nmod_poly_mat_entry(appbas, i, j), 0);
+            nmod_mat_set_entry(CP0, i, j, c);
+        }
+        for (slong j = 0; j < cdim; j++)
+        {
+            ulong c = nmod_poly_get_coeff_ui(nmod_poly_mat_entry(residual, i, j), order);
+            nmod_mat_set_entry(CP0, i, rdim+j, c);
+        }
+    }
 
-/* -*- mode: C++; tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 4 -*- */
-// vim:sts=4:sw=4:ts=4:et:sr:cino=>s,f0,{0,g0,(0,\:0,t0,+0,=s
+    slong rank = nmod_mat_rank(CP0);
+    if (rank != rdim)
+    {
+        printf("generation test (step: [C P(0)] has full rank) failed");
+        success = 0;
+    }
+
+    nmod_poly_clear(pol);
+    nmod_poly_mat_clear(residual);
+    nmod_mat_clear(CP0);
+
+    return success;
+}