cli-forge Validate

When To Use This Stage

• The user explicitly asked for validation or compliance checking.
• Scaffold work just finished and needs a verification pass.
• Extension work just finished and needs a verification pass.
• Description-stage work just finished and needs the downstream surfaces checked for alignment.
• Publish-oriented work is requested, but validation is stale or missing.

Stage Goal

Canonical References

• ./instructions/validate.md

• ./planning-brief.md

instructions/validate.md

Required Inputs

• project_path

Workflow

1. Run the pre-checks from

   ./instructions/validate.md

   : resolve the path, confirm it is a directory, and confirm

   Cargo.toml

   exists.
2. Execute the documented validation rules in order, including:
   • structure
   • naming
   • dependencies and metadata

   • SKILL.md

     contract checks
   • build checks
   • runtime convention checks
   • repo-native release/install checks when the target repository adopts the publish asset pack
   • generated package boundary checks so package-local support assets are allowed only when enabled and repository-owned CI automation is not misclassified as generated output
3. Return the report in the required markdown table shape with the requested summary.
4. Classify the outcome:
   • compliant when all required checks pass
   • usable with warnings when only warning-level gaps fail
   • non-compliant when any error-level check fails
5. Prepare the handoff:
   • compliant or reviewable-with-warnings results continue into

     publish

     so the workflow ends with final release-readiness or no-publish closure
   • non-compliant results route back to the earliest failing phase before later work resumes

Guardrails

• Do not skip checks just because an earlier rule failed unless the instruction file explicitly says the remaining check would be impossible or misleading.
• Preserve the exact reporting contract from the instruction file.
• If failures point to broken scaffold fundamentals, route back to the earlier phase that owns those surfaces before claiming the workflow is done.

Done Condition

Next Step

• Continue with

  ../cli-forge-publish/SKILL.md

  after every successful validation pass. If no explicit release action was requested, enter

  publish

  in

  report_only

  mode.
• Otherwise, route back to the earliest failing phase, fix the gaps there, and re-run validation.