vestjs

name	vestjs
description	Routes Vest.js 5.4 questions to the right workflow. Use this whenever the user broadly asks about Vest.js validation, wants help writing or refactoring a Vest suite, asks for 5.x best practices, or mentions `only`, `skip`, `include`, `skipWhen`, `omitWhen`, `optional`, `warn`, `group`, `each`, `mode`, async validations, result access, or typed suites without yet narrowing the exact problem.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"ngx-vest-forms","version":"1.0"}

Vest.js router skill

Use this as the broad entry point for Vest.js guidance in this repository.

Version contract

This skill is a stable public router.

In this repository, it currently defaults to the Vest 5.4.x / 5.x lane.

• Prefer the 5.x documentation set.
• Do not casually mix in Vest 6 guidance.
• If the user is clearly asking about a later major version, say so and avoid pretending the APIs are the same.

Read references/version-selection.md before changing that default or adding another major-version lane.

Internal versioned layout

This package keeps vestjs as the installable public skill name, while version-specific material lives internally.

• references/5.x/ contains the current 5.x source map and notes.
• evals/5.x.json contains the current 5.x eval set.
• evals/evals.json remains the active default alias for the current supported lane.

When 6.x support is added, mirror the same structure under references/6.x/ and evals/6.x.json rather than renaming the public skill immediately.

Start from the invariant layer

Assume the repo instruction file already enforces the baseline Vest rules:

• call only() unconditionally when using selective validation
• never call only(), skip(), or .done() conditionally
• use result.isTested(field) instead of parallel dirty tracking
• prefer skipWhen / omitWhen / include.when over ad-hoc branching
• keep async validations cancellable

Do not restate those basics unless they are directly relevant to the user’s issue.

Available workflow sub-skills

Use these nested workflow sub-skills when the feature area is clear:

Sub-skill	Use when	Path
core	first suites, create, staticSuite, test, enforce, only, stateful vs stateless usage	core/SKILL.md
conditional-control-flow	skip, only, include, skipWhen, omitWhen, optional, dependent fields, conditional validation	conditional-control-flow/SKILL.md
async-and-warnings	async tests, AbortSignal, username availability checks, warn(), .done(), async hygiene	async-and-warnings/SKILL.md
results-groups-and-types	result APIs, isValid, hasErrors, group, each, execution modes, TypeScript generics, typed runtime helpers	results-groups-and-types/SKILL.md
enforce-and-custom-rules	reusable enforce logic, condition, extend, compose, custom matcher typing	enforce-and-custom-rules/SKILL.md
server-side-validation	API validation, staticSuite, request isolation, stateless server flows	server-side-validation/SKILL.md

Route to the right workflow

Core suite setup

Read core/SKILL.md when the user is:

• starting a Vest suite from scratch
• asking for a “proper” or idiomatic Vest example
• unsure when to use create vs staticSuite
• asking about how Vest fits into app code at all

Conditional validation flow

Read conditional-control-flow/SKILL.md when the user is:

• deciding between skipWhen, omitWhen, and optional
• wiring linked fields like password/confirm password
• asking why skipped tests still affect validity
• dealing with conditional sections, feature flags, or dependent fields

Async validation and warnings

Read async-and-warnings/SKILL.md when the user is:

• validating against a server or remote service
• asking how to cancel stale async work
• using warn() for non-blocking guidance
• asking where .done() belongs or why async callbacks are flaky

Results, groups, collections, and types

Read results-groups-and-types/SKILL.md when the user is:

• inspecting suite output or field state
• asking about isTested, isPending, getErrors, or group-specific queries
• working with multi-step forms or grouped validations
• validating dynamic arrays with each
• asking for typed suites in TypeScript

Enforce composition and custom rules

Read enforce-and-custom-rules/SKILL.md when the user is:

• trying to make a reusable matcher or domain validator
• asking about enforce.condition, enforce.extend, or compose
• designing custom rule APIs or TypeScript matcher declarations
• validating object shapes with reusable composed rules

Server-side validation

Read server-side-validation/SKILL.md when the user is:

• validating request payloads or backend DTOs
• asking how to use Vest safely on Node/server runtimes
• deciding between create(...) and staticSuite(...) on the server
• asking about fast-fail vs full error collection for API responses

Routing heuristics

• If the user mentions several of these at once, combine the relevant sub-skills instead of forcing a single lens.
• If the user is working specifically with Angular template-driven forms and ngx-vest-forms, combine this skill with the ngx-vest-forms skill rather than answering as if Vest were the only moving part.
• If the user only wants raw API signatures from the library docs, prioritize documentation-backed answers over inventing abstractions.
• If the question is mostly about enforce rule design or backend payload validation, do not over-route it through the basic core skill just because a suite also exists.

Core references

• references/version-selection.md
• references/5.x/source-map.md
• .github/instructions/vest.instructions.md
• https://vestjs.dev/docs/5.x/get_started
• https://vestjs.dev/docs/5.x/api_reference
• https://vestjs.dev/docs/5.x/typescript_support

Goal

Use this skill to keep vestjs as the stable entry point, identify the correct version lane for the current context, and then route into the matching focused sub-skill instead of giving a shapeless overview of the whole library.