name	project-validator
description	Validate project structure, dependencies, and configuration files. Use when setting up projects, checking project health, or troubleshooting configuration issues.

Project Validator

This skill validates common project configurations and structure. It demonstrates how to use scripts for deterministic validation tasks.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Setting up a new project
Troubleshooting configuration issues
Ensuring project follows best practices
Onboarding new team members
Pre-deployment checks

Validation Checks

This skill performs the following validations:

File Structure: Checks for required files and directories
Dependencies: Validates package.json and lock files
Configuration: Checks for proper config files
Git Setup: Ensures git is configured properly
Environment: Validates .env files and required variables

Instructions

Quick Validation

Run the validation script to check your project:

python scripts/validate.py

This will check:

✓ package.json exists and is valid JSON
✓ README.md exists
✓ .gitignore is present
✓ Git repository is initialized
✓ Node modules are installed
✓ Required environment variables are set

Setup Script

For new projects, run the setup script:

bash scripts/setup.sh

This will:

Initialize git if not already initialized
Create .gitignore if missing
Create basic README.md template
Set up pre-commit hooks
Install dependencies

Examples

Example 1: Validate Existing Project

$ python scripts/validate.py

=== Project Validation Report ===

✓ package.json found and valid
✓ README.md exists
✓ .gitignore present
✓ Git repository initialized
✗ node_modules not found - run 'npm install'
✓ TypeScript configured (tsconfig.json found)

Issues found: 1
Run suggested commands to fix issues.

Example 2: Setup New Project

$ bash scripts/setup.sh

=== Project Setup ===

✓ Git initialized
✓ Created .gitignore with Node.js defaults
✓ Created README.md template
✓ Installing dependencies...
✓ Setup complete!

Next steps:
1. Review and customize README.md
2. Add your project description to package.json
3. Configure environment variables in .env

Script Details

validate.py

Python script that checks:

File existence and validity
JSON syntax in config files
Git repository status
Dependency installation
Environment configuration

Why Python?

Cross-platform compatibility (works on Windows, Mac, Linux)
Rich standard library for file operations
Easy to extend with additional checks
Better error handling than shell scripts

setup.sh

Shell script that:

Initializes project structure
Creates boilerplate files
Runs initialization commands

Why Shell?

Simple command chaining
Native git/npm integration
Fast for straightforward tasks
Familiar to most developers

Customization

You can customize the validation by editing the scripts:

Add custom checks to validate.py:

def check_custom_requirement():
    """Add your custom validation logic"""
    if not os.path.exists('custom-file.json'):
        return False, "custom-file.json is missing"
    return True, "Custom check passed"

Add setup steps to setup.sh:

# Add custom initialization
echo "Running custom setup..."
mkdir -p custom-directory
cp template.txt custom-directory/

Best Practices

Run validation before commits
Include validation in CI/CD pipeline
Keep scripts up-to-date with project requirements
Document any custom checks
Use exit codes for automation

AI Assistant Instructions

When this skill is activated:

Assess the situation: Determine if this is a new project or existing one
Recommend appropriate script:
- New project → suggest setup.sh
- Existing project → suggest validate.py
Run the script: Execute the appropriate script
Review output: Analyze validation results
Provide fixes: If issues found, suggest specific commands to fix them

Always:

Run the scripts from the project root directory
Explain what each script does before running
Show the full output to the user
Provide actionable next steps based on results

Never:

Run scripts without explaining what they do
Modify scripts without user permission
Skip validation steps
Assume project structure without checking

name	project-validator
description	Validate project structure, dependencies, and configuration files. Use when setting up projects, checking project health, or troubleshooting configuration issues.