validate

name	validate
description	Produce PASS/WARN/FAIL verdicts for artifacts, plans, code, PRs, or gates — including quick readiness/sanity checks before commit (absorbs vibe) and completion audits. Triggers: "validate an artifact", "PASS/WARN/FAIL verdict", "readiness / completion audit".

$validate — Canonical Validator Skill

Loop position: move 6 (prove acceptance) of the operating loop — the driving adapter for the validate_acceptance port: every Given/When/Then must map to a passing test before a bead closes.

Role: validator. Input = artifact (plan, spec, code, PR, fitness gate). Output = verdict.v1 (PASS / WARN / FAIL with rationale + findings).

Status (2026-05-08): introduced ADDITIVE in Phase 1 (m6v5.D.1 / soc-78s2v). Existing validators (councilvibe/pre-mortem/red-team/review/eval-outcomes plus retired pr-validate and validation lanes) stayed until Phase 2 shim conversion (m6v5.D.2). Fix-C smoke (soc-wb2aa) gates Phase 2.

$validate is a driving adapter for the validate_acceptance port in the Intent-to-Loop Hexagon. When the artifact contains a hexagon: block, preserve the bounded context, context packet, guard adapters, and done state in the verdict. When the artifact claims DONE/closed/green, apply the Completion-Claim Kernel before returning PASS.

A verdict is re-plan evidence, not just a retry trigger. Under $rpi, a FAIL/WARN (and its findings) surfaces UP to the orchestrator's Agile Re-Plan Loop: the remaining waves may be refactored, inserted, dropped, or reordered in response — not only the failed objective re-cranked. Under --auto that pivot is autonomous. Looping a failed objective forever without asking whether the plan should change is the waterfall anti-pattern.

Modes (≤8 per Fix-F mode-flag budget)

Mode	Purpose	Replaces (post-Phase 2)
(default)	2-judge multi-judge consensus on any artifact	$council default
--quick	Inline single-agent structured review	$council --quick
--deep	4-judge thorough review	$council --deep
--mixed	Cross-vendor (Claude + Codex), N×2 judges	$council --mixed
--debate	Adversarial 2-round refinement	$council --debate, $red-team
--mode=post-impl	Code-readiness pipeline (complexity → bug-hunt → council)	vibe
--mode=pre-impl [--target=X]	Plan/spec validation; target ∈ {scenario,fitness,ratchet,scope,skill,health}	$pre-mortem, $eval-outcomes, $goals measure, $flywheel, $scope, $skill-auditor, ao doctor
--mode=pr	PR-shape verdict (diff review + acceptance check)	$review

Mode-budget assertion: 8 modes. Adding a 9th requires demoting an existing one OR refusing the addition (per Fix-F § continuous CI gate).

Folded skills (cp-ki8): validation + pr-validate retired into these modes

The retired validation and pr-validate lanes were the Phase-1 placeholders for --mode=post-impl and --mode=pr; both are now retired (cp-ki8) and their load-bearing contract folded here so no capability is lost:

• --mode=post-impl (was the validation lane) — full close-out + no-self-grading invariant. Beyond the inline complexity → bug-hunt → council pipeline, this mode owns the validate_acceptance port: every Given/When/Then from the intent issue must map to a passing test (criterion→test roll-up; activity logs do not close beads), and the acceptance verdict must be produced by a blind, context-isolated sub-agent judge that did not author the code (author ≠ validator — ag-9jle.5 / ag-lmdx.4). Refuse to certify acceptance when judge_id == author_id; the only escape is an inline-fallback self-grade that is stamped as waived, not independently validated. Apply the Completion-Claim Kernel before accepting any DONE/closed/green claim. For epic-scope close-out this mode may delegate to vibe, $post-mortem, and $forge rather than inlining them.
• --mode=pr (was the pr-validate lane) — submission-readiness checks. In addition to the diff/acceptance verdict, run, in order: (1) upstream alignment FIRST (BLOCKING — git rev-list --count HEAD..origin/main; fail if many commits behind or merge would conflict), (2) CONTRIBUTING.md compliance (BLOCKING), (3) isolation — single commit type + thematic files + atomic scope, (4) scope-creep containment, (5) quality gate (tests/lint, non-blocking). On FAIL, emit remediation steps (split-by-type cherry-pick, rebase-on-upstream) so the verdict is actionable.

Folded triggers (ag-s43tg wave 1): vibe + bead-completion-audit route here

• vibe → --mode=post-impl. Use when doing a quick readiness or sanity check that code is ready to commit or ship, short of a full review — the post-impl pipeline (complexity → bug-hunt → council) is the vibe check.
• bead-completion-audit → --mode=post-impl close-out. Use when auditing closed beads for real shipped evidence, acceptance proof, and truthful closeout — the Completion-Claim Kernel and the no-self-grading invariant above own this audit.

Quick Start

$validate path/to/plan.md                  # default 2-judge consensus
$validate --quick path/to/plan.md          # inline single-agent
$validate --deep path/to/spec.md           # 4-judge thorough
$validate --mode=pre-impl path/to/plan.md  # pre-mortem mode
$validate --mode=post-impl recent          # vibe mode (post-implement)
$validate --mode=pr 123                    # PR review by PR number
$validate --mode=pre-impl --target=fitness # fitness gate against GOALS.md

Default uses runtime-native subagent spawning. Falls back to --quick (inline) when no multi-agent capability detected.

Execution

Step 1: Resolve mode + target

Parse --mode and --target. Default mode is multi-judge. Validate combinations:

Mode	Allowed --target
default, --quick, --deep, --mixed, --debate	n/a
--mode=post-impl	n/a (pipeline scope is recent code changes)
--mode=pre-impl	scenario, fitness, ratchet, scope, skill, health (default: pre-mortem on plan)
--mode=pr	n/a (PR ID/path is positional)

Reject invalid combinations (e.g., --mode=pr --target=fitness).

Step 2: Load artifact + context

# resolve artifact:
ARTIFACT="${1:-recent}"  # path, PR ID, or "recent"

# load FAIL patterns:
# (folded into skill body; not a separate hook)

For --mode=pre-impl, also load:

• .agents/planning-rules/*.md (compiled planning rules)
• .agents/findings/registry.jsonl (active findings)
• .agents/pre-mortem-checks/*.md (compiled prevention)

For --mode=post-impl, run pre-checks:

• complexity audit (radon for python, gocyclo for go)
• bug-hunt sweep (skill-body convention; no $review skill needed)

For --mode=pr, fetch the PR diff (gh pr diff <id> or path).

Step 3: Determine spawn backend

1. spawn_agent available → Codex sub-agent
2. TeamCreate available → Claude native team
3. task (read-only skill tool, OpenCode) → opencode subagent
4. None → fall back to --quick (inline single-agent)

Log selected backend in the verdict frontmatter.

Step 4: Run judges

Mode	Judges	Perspectives
default	2	independent (no labeled perspectives)
--deep	4	missing-requirements, feasibility, scope, spec-completeness
--mixed	2N (default N=3)	same N perspectives across Claude + Codex
--debate	2+ rounds	adversarial; 2 rounds with critique-rebuttal
--quick	0 (inline self)	structured review
--mode=post-impl	2 + pipeline	complexity → bug-hunt → 2-judge council
--mode=pre-impl	2-4	per target preset
--mode=pr	2	diff-review + acceptance-check

Each judge gets:

• artifact path
• relevant context (planning rules, findings)
• council FAIL pattern check prompt (top 8)
• temporal interrogation prompt (--deep + --target=plan)

Step 5: Mandatory checks (auto-trigger)

For --mode=pre-impl --target=plan:

• temporal interrogation (auto for plans with 5+ files or 3+ deps)
• error & rescue map
• council FAIL pattern check (top 8)
• test pyramid coverage check
• input validation check (enum-like fields)

For --mode=post-impl:

• L0/L1/L2 coverage check on changed files

For --mode=pre-impl --target=fitness:

• read GOALS.md
• evaluate each gate against current state
• report PASS/WARN/FAIL per gate + aggregate

Step 6: Consolidate to verdict

Each judge returns a per-judge result. Consolidate:

• PASS only if all judges PASS (or majority for --deep)
• WARN if any judge raises a warning the others don't dispute
• FAIL if any judge raises a blocker the others don't override

Step 7: Write verdict

Output path: .agents/council/YYYY-MM-DD-validate-<topic-slug>.md

---
id: validate-YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>
type: verdict
date: YYYY-MM-DD
mode: <mode>
target: <target or n/a>
artifact: <path>
backend: <codex-subagents | claude-teams | opencode | inline>
---

# Validate Verdict — <topic>

## Council Verdict: PASS / WARN / FAIL

| Failure mode | Risk | Severity | Addressed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Pseudocode Fixes (when WARN/FAIL)
(copy-pastable into affected issues per pre-mortem 4.6 contract)

## FAIL Pattern Check
(top 8 patterns — status per pattern)

## Verdict
PASS — proceed
WARN — review concerns, accept risk, or apply fixes
FAIL — block; revise artifact and rerun

The exact heading ## Council Verdict: PASS / WARN / FAIL is mandatory — downstream validators and ledger readers parse it with anchored regex.

Step 8: Persist findings (when applicable)

For --mode=pre-impl reusable findings: append to .agents/findings/registry.jsonl (atomic temp+rename).

Step 9: Report

1. Verdict (PASS/WARN/FAIL).
2. Key concerns (when not PASS).
3. Output path.
4. Recommended next action.

--target taxonomy (pre-impl)

--target	What gets graded	Replaces
(default)	Plan/spec for an upcoming $implement	$pre-mortem
scenario	Holdout scenario gate	$eval-outcomes
fitness	GOALS.md fitness gates	$goals measure, ao goals measure
ratchet	Brownian Ratchet checkpoint	$flywheel, ao ratchet status
scope	Frozen-dirs declaration	$scope
skill	SKILL.md hygiene + audit	$skill-auditor, $heal-skill (audit half)
health	Repo health probe	ao doctor

Each target has its own inline check rubric until Phase 2 extraction.

Validation discipline (2026-06-09, cards 6–10, cp-hhd7)

Verdict form — the gate parses these lines anchored

VERDICT: PASS
(blank line)
COMMANDS RUN:
<actual commands + verbatim output snippets>
REASONS:
- bullet citing a COMMANDS RUN line

A verdict with no COMMANDS RUN: section is unverified — reject it and dispatch a fresh validator. A verdict whose COMMANDS RUN: lists only commands the author ran (not the judge) is a counterfeit judge — treat as FAIL and re-route to a genuinely independent validator. No ## headings or parentheticals on VERDICT: or COMMANDS RUN: lines; the gate parses them anchored.

Cross-family floor (POLICY → gate icb6 enforces; this skill supports)

For assurance closes (the control-plane verdict-gate, cp-icb6), the floor is ≥2 verdicts from ≥2 distinct model families, author family excluded, fail-closed. This skill supports that policy via --mixed mode and the verdict form above; the policy itself lives in the gate, not here. A same-model council is valid for non-assurance decisions (design brainstorms, quick checks) — do not refuse those. Tier mapping:

• STRICT (irreversible, security, production close): Codex + strong-Gemini (A1); or Fable + Codex (A2).
• ROUTINE (everyday close): Codex + non-author-Claude (A3); or Fable + non-author (A4).

The A7 ruling (2026-06-09, memory validation-family-policy-risk-tiered): Gemini is currently benched for STRICT validation — use Codex + Fable for A1/A2 tiers. Gemini may return for STRICT when Bo graduates it from the bench. Do not present Gemini paths as live for tier A1/A2 until then.

Judge empirically on a differentiating fixture (card 9, cp-8720)

When two implementations of the same intent exist, do NOT award based on authorship or surface aesthetics. Run both on a differentiating fixture (an input that exposes their behavioral difference), record the outputs verbatim, and graft the loser's unique assets onto the winner. "My worker wrote it" is not evidence.

Dispatch record first (card 3, cp-hhtu)

Before dispatching a validator, register intent on the bead graph (update status, assign actor). Two parallel validators on the same bead produce a dedup incident, not a cross-family quorum. Check for an existing actor before spawning.

Judges re-measure; they do not read (card 8)

A judge re-runs the cited commands on the actual artifacts. It does not read the author's evidence file and agree. Attest judge_source: <model> inside COMMANDS RUN so the gate can confirm the judge identity. A judge that ran nothing is a reader, not a verifier — discard its verdict.

Evidence figures are measured, never inferred (the cp-801l lesson)

A worker's evidence file may only contain numbers and outputs that were captured — pasted verbatim from a command's output — never reconstructed from memory. The canonical failure: "36 checks — 35 pass" stated with confidence was inference; the measured reality was 36 run / 34 pass / 1 fail / 1 skip, on a different commit.

• Validators: treat any uncited figure (a count, a pass-rate, a timing, a commit hash) as unverifiable → FAIL until a log is produced or the claim is corrected.
• Corrections happen by APPENDED erratum — a dated erratum block crediting the source measurement — never by silently editing the original figure. A silently edited evidence file is indistinguishable from a fabricated one.

Constraints (one-role-per-skill)

• One role: validator. Output is always a verdict. Never mutates code (delegates to $implement for fixes).
• No new modes without dropping/merging an existing one (Fix-F mode-budget cap = 8).
• Verdict heading is regex-anchored — do not alter the ## Council Verdict: ... text format.

See Also

• skills/rpi/SKILL.md — orchestrator that fires $validate --mode=pre-impl after $plan
• skills/curate/SKILL.md — miner role (paired canonical skill)
• schemas/verdict.v1.schema.json — output contract
• pre-land-refuters — the mutate-shared-trunk pawl: a self-administered DONE is a claim, so an unbiased fresh-context refuter (model-agnostic by default; multi-model ≥2 families opt-in for the highest-irreversibility doors) attacks it at the push boundary regardless of complexity (complexity scales the panel's depth, never exempts the gate); its CONFIRMED verdict is enforced executably by scripts/reconcile-pr.sh

Reference Documents

• references/validate.feature — Executable spec: verdict.v1 PASS/WARN/FAIL for any artifact, --mode selects shape, 8-mode budget (soc-qk4b)

Reference library (incl. rescued vibe references, ag-s43tg)

• references/complexity-analysis.md
• references/deep-audit-protocol.md
• references/deep-checks.md
• references/examples.md
• references/go-patterns.md
• references/go-standards.md
• references/json-standards.md
• references/markdown-standards.md
• references/patterns.md
• references/post-verdict-actions.md
• references/python-standards.md
• references/quick-mode-vibe.md
• references/report-format.md
• references/rust-standards.md
• references/shell-standards.md
• references/test-pyramid-inventory.md
• references/test-pyramid-weighting.md
• references/typescript-standards.md
• references/verification-report.md
• references/vibe-coding.md
• references/vibe-suppressions.md
• references/write-time-quality.md
• references/yaml-standards.md
• references/validate.feature
• references/vibe.feature — rescued vibe executable spec
• scripts/prescan.sh — rescued vibe pre-scan helper