| name | zowe-conformance |
| description | Validate VS Code extensions and CLI plug-ins against Zowe V3 Conformance Criteria. Audit package.json, settings, commands, menus, profile usage, and API registration for conformance. Use when checking Zowe conformance, preparing for conformance submission, auditing an extension/plug-in against Zowe criteria, or when the user mentions conformance. |
Zowe V3 Conformance Check
Validate a VS Code extension or CLI plug-in against the Zowe V3 Conformance Criteria. Identifies which criteria are met, which are violated, and which need manual verification.
Quick Start
- Determine if the target is a CLI Plug-in.
- Identify which conformance sections apply (see below).
- Copy the applicable checklist from CLI_CRITERIA.md (or fetch live criteria if requested, see "Full Criteria Reference").
- Audit the extension/plug-in against each item.
- Report findings using the output format.
Determining Applicable Sections
For CLI Plug-ins
Every CLI plug-in must pass all applicable sections in CLI_CRITERIA.md, which include:
- Infrastructure (items 1-8)
- Installation (items 9-13)
- Naming (items 14-16)
- Profiles (items 17-30)
- Support (item 31)
- Documentation (item 32)
Audit Workflow
Step 1: Gather Evidence
Read these files from the extension/plug-in under review:
package.json — dependencies, extensionDependencies, contributes (commands, menus, configuration)README.md — Zowe references, tags, support documentation- Extension/Plug-in entry point (
activate() function or imperative configuration) — API registration, profile initialization
- Any profile/config handling code
Step 2: Automated Checks
For each applicable criterion, verify programmatically where possible.
CLI checks:
package.json has no @zowe/cli peer dependency (item 5)- Uses
@zowe/imperative RestClient instead of axios or request (item 7)
- Option names do not use reserved aliases like
--rfj, --help, etc. (item 16)
- Profile properties use exact names like
host, port, user, password (item 20)
- No reads/writes of v1 profiles (item 30)
Step 3: Manual Verification Items
Some criteria require human judgment:
- Zowe trademark usage compliance
- Support documentation quality
- Error message format consistency
- SDK usage justification if not using Zowe SDKs
- API implementation completeness / meaningful error messages
- Test suite coverage
- Menu placement below Zowe groups
- Command naming consistency with Zowe conventions
Step 4: Report Findings
Use this output format:
## Zowe V3 Conformance Audit
**Target:** [name] (CLI)
**Applicable sections:** [list sections]
**Date:** [date]
### Summary
| Status | Count |
| ------ | ----- |
| PASS | X |
| FAIL | X |
| MANUAL | X |
| N/A | X |
### [Section Name] (items X-Y)
| # | Criterion | Status | Evidence |
| --- | --------- | ---------------- | --------- |
| 1 | [Summary] | PASS/FAIL/MANUAL | [details] |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
### Required Actions
🔴 **FAIL** items (must fix for conformance):
- [item]: [what needs to change]
🟡 **MANUAL** items (needs human verification):
- [item]: [what to verify]
Status Definitions
| Status | Meaning |
|---|
| PASS | Criterion met, evidence confirmed in code/config |
| FAIL | Criterion violated, specific issue identified |
| MANUAL | Cannot be verified programmatically, needs human review |
| N/A | Criterion does not apply to this extension/plug-in |
Key V3 Changes from V2
- CLI Item 30 (new): Must NOT read or write v1 profiles (previously required backward compatibility)
- CLI Item 8 (new best practice): Exit codes should be 0 for success, non-zero for failure
- CLI Item 13 (new best practice): Plug-ins should be installable from a local archive
- Several items reworded for clarity but requirements unchanged
Full Criteria Reference
For the complete text of all conformance criteria with version info and required/best-practice classification, see CLI_CRITERIA.md for CLI plug-ins.
Live Audit Option: By default, use the local criteria files. If the user explicitly asks for a "live audit" or "latest criteria", use your web browsing or fetching capabilities to read the latest criteria directly from the official documentation: https://docs.zowe.org/stable/whats-new/zowe-v3-conformance-criteria/
