harness-validator

name	harness-validator
description	Meta-auditor — validate the KB harness itself (structure, auditors, rules coherence, feedback loops).
when_to_use	Use to validate the KB harness itself — structure, auditors, rules coherence, feedback loops. Trigger: 'check the harness', meta-audit.
version	1.0.1

Harness Validator

Verify the integrity of the knowledge base harness: KB structure, installed auditors, rule coherence, hook configuration, and feedback loop wiring.

Steps

1. Check: KB Exists and Has Valid Structure

• Verify kb/index.md exists and lists all KB files.
• Verify core files exist: spec.md, properties.md, glossary.md.
• For each file in the index, confirm it actually exists on disk.
• Check each KB file has last-updated frontmatter.
• Flag missing core files as Critical. Flag missing indexed files as Warning.

2. Check: Auditor Skills Installed

• Verify each required auditor skill exists in skills/kb/:
  • ambiguity-auditor.md — always required
  • code-quality-auditor.md — always required
  • harness-validator.md — always required (self-referential check)
  • spec-compliance-auditor.md — required only if specs/ directory exists in project root

    [ -d specs ] && echo "spec-compliance required" || echo "spec-compliance optional"
    

• Check each has valid frontmatter with description.
• Verify installed copies exist in .harness/skills/ and any Claude compatibility copies in .claude/commands/ (if install has been run).
• Flag missing auditors as Critical.

3. Check: Rules Coherence

• Read .harness/rules/ first, then .claude/rules/ compatibility copies if present.
• Read agent definitions (e.g., agents/ directory or AGENTS.md).
• Verify: rules reference KB files that exist, agent instructions don't contradict rules, no orphaned rules referencing deleted agents.
• Flag contradictions as Critical. Flag orphaned rules as Warning.

4. Check: Hook Configuration

• Read .harness/hooks/ and any runtime hook projection such as .claude/settings.json.
• Verify hooks don't block tools that agents need (e.g., a pre-commit hook that blocks Bash would break all agents).
• Check that hook commands reference valid scripts/paths.
• Flag blocking hooks as Critical. Flag missing expected hooks as Info.

5. Check: CLAUDE.md References KB

• Read CLAUDE.md (project root).
• Verify it references the KB (kb/ directory, key files, or the KB update process).
• If CLAUDE.md exists but doesn't mention KB, flag as Warning.
• If CLAUDE.md doesn't exist, flag as Info (not required but recommended).

6. Check: Feedback Loop Wired (Ralph Loop)

• Verify the tech-lead agent (or equivalent) has eval criteria and a workflow that triggers auditors.
• Check for: a defined evaluation step that invokes at least one auditor, results feed back to planning.
• Look for evidence in agent definitions, AGENTS.md, or workflow configs.
• Flag missing feedback loop as Critical — the harness isn't closed without it.

7. Generate Report

Write to kb/reports/harness-validation-report.md:

---
auditor: harness-validator
date: <today YYYY-MM-DD>
status: N critical, N warnings, N info
harness-health: HEALTHY | DEGRADED | BROKEN
---

## Harness Health: <HEALTHY|DEGRADED|BROKEN>

- **HEALTHY**: All checks pass, feedback loop closed.
- **DEGRADED**: Non-critical issues, harness functional but incomplete.
- **BROKEN**: Critical issues, harness cannot function correctly.

## Critical

### [C1] <Issue title>
- **Check**: <which check found this>
- **Issue**: <description>
- **Fix**: <specific remediation>

## Warnings

### [W1] <Issue title>
- **Check**: <which check found this>
- **Issue**: <description>
- **Recommendation**: <action>

## Info

### [I1] <Issue title>
- **Check**: <which check found this>
- **Note**: <description>

## Checklist Summary

- [ ] KB exists with valid structure
- [ ] All auditor skills installed
- [ ] Rules coherent with agents
- [ ] Hooks don't block needed tools
- [ ] CLAUDE.md references KB
- [ ] Ralph Loop (feedback loop) wired

Rules

• This auditor checks the harness, not the project code — stay in scope.
• Run this after any structural change to the harness (new agents, changed rules, modified hooks).
• Create kb/reports/ directory if it doesn't exist.
• A single Critical finding sets harness-health to BROKEN. Warnings without Criticals = DEGRADED. No issues = HEALTHY.