Validator

Run MCS quality checks on any product in

workspace/

When to use: After building or modifying a product, before publishing, or anytime you want a quality snapshot.

When NOT to use: On products outside

workspace/

Activation Protocol

0. Shared preamble: Load

   references/quality/activation-preamble.md

   — context assembly, persona adaptation, deterministic routing rules.
1. Detect product type: read

   .meta.yaml

   →

   product.type

   and

   state.phase

   • Missing → infer from file structure (SKILL.md, AGENT.md, SQUAD.md, hooks.json, etc.)
   • Cannot determine → ask: "What product type is this?" 1b. Mode selection (Express vs Guided). Read

     creator.yaml → preferences.workflow_style

     . Resolve the flow mode:

   • --express

     flag OR

     workflow_style == "autonomous"

     → Express mode. Skip the coaching explanations after each stage, suppress the remediation menu, and deliver a single verdict block at the end (pass/warn/fail + fix instructions in a compact list). Persona tone still holds; only the conversational scaffolding is trimmed.

   • workflow_style == "guided"

     or missing → Guided mode (default). Walk each stage with the full coaching voice and propose remediation interactively after failing stages.
2. Maintain creator persona: Read

   creator.yaml

   → adapt to

   profile.type

   and

   technical_level

3. Load voice identity: Load

   references/quality/engine-voice-core.md

   . Load the full

   references/quality/engine-voice.md

   only for peak moments (first-pass milestone celebration, confronting failure verdict) — see UX Stack below. 3b. Exemplar load: Load

   references/quality/exemplar-outputs.md

   sections E6 and E7 only — the validation pass and failure exemplars. Your verdict MUST carry the same visual structure: Frame for pass (with tier badge), rail format for failure (with numbered fixes + estimated score after). Adapt to creator context — never copy verbatim.
4. Load DNA requirements:

   product-dna/{type}.yaml

   4b. Load architectural DNA: Read

   structural-dna.md

   . The 10 architectural principles and the Tier 1 DNA patterns (D1-D4, D13, D14) are the canonical audit baseline — Stages 3 and 5 grep the product against them, and any violation surfaces as coaching.
5. Load product spec:

   references/product-specs/{type}-spec.md

   5b. Load entity ontology (squad/system/agent/workflow/minds): If type ∈ {squad, system, agent, minds, workflow}, read

   references/entity-ontology.md

   . This substrate drives semantic validation:
   • §HERITAGE: verify the product inherits correct DNA from its lineage (squad must pass all agent DNA + D9/D10/D12/D18)
   • §COMPOSITION: verify only allowed compositions (squad→agents+minds+skills+workflows; system→everything; workflow→skills only)
   • §AGENT_ROLES: if

     .meta.yaml

     has

     agent_role

     , verify tool boundaries match the role
   • §SQUAD_ANATOMY: verify all 8 mandatory components exist and have content
   • §WORKFLOW_VS_SQUAD: verify workflows don't contain agents and squads don't use fixed-sequence-only routing
   • §HEURISTICS: surface coaching if product shows signs of wrong type (skill >800 lines → suggest agent)
   • For type=system ONLY: §SYSTEM_ENGINES — verify declared gears have concrete implementations (not just prose), verify counterpart couplings are declared, verify critical chain (E4→E5→E6→E7) is complete if perception gear is active
   • §INTELLIGENCE_PIPELINE — verify baseline delta (is this better than Claude vanilla?), verify substance (does this carry domain intelligence or is it just formatted instructions?)
6. Load config:

   config.yaml

   → scoring weights, thresholds, placeholder patterns
7. Load gates:

   quality-gates.yaml

   → state transition rules 7b. Load proactives: Load

   references/engine-proactive.md

   — wire #1 (pipeline guidance: after validate passes, guide to /test then /package), #19 (error recovery: on validation failure, propose specific fixes), #20 (test mandate: if MCS-2+ and not tested, block /package suggestion).
8. CLI contract: Load

   references/cli-contract.md

   for Stage 6 (CLI Preflight). Severity map:
   • Warning:

     validate --json

     — CLI validation is advisory during /validate (blocking only during /publish)
   • Warning:

     doctor --json

     — health check is advisory, score < 8.0 triggers suggestion
   • Stage 6 detail protocol:

     references/validation-stages/stage-6-cli-preflight.md

Commands

/validate                    → Auto-detect, run MCS-1
/validate --level=2          → MCS-2 (includes MCS-1)
/validate --level=3          → MCS-3 (includes MCS-1+2, PRO only)
/validate --fix              → MCS-1 + auto-remediate fixable issues
/validate --report           → MCS-1 + output detailed report file
/validate --batch            → Validate ALL products sequentially

Core Instructions

STAGE EXECUTION

Execute stages in order. Blocking stages stop on failure. Non-blocking stages report but continue.

Load detailed stage protocols from references/ on demand. Each stage is a separate file — load only the stage(s) you need for the current

--level

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-0-intent-coherence.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-1-structural.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-2-integrity.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-3-dna-tier1.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-4-dna-tier2.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-5-dna-tier3.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-6-cli-preflight.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-7-anti-commodity.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/value-intelligence.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-8-value-intelligence.md

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/stage-9-voice-coherence.md

Stage 0 runs first when

.meta.yaml

intent_declaration

Stage 0 failure behavior: If Stage 0 checks detect errors (enum_membership, type_legality, codex_consistency), they are reported as coaching items in the verdict — they appear in the output but do NOT affect the overall score or the pass/fail verdict. Stage 0 results are written to

.meta.yaml → stage_0_results

Stage 7 sub-stages (7b cognitive fidelity, 7c baseline delta, 7d composition check) are inside the stage 7 file — they only fire under their prerequisites and never need a separate load.

Index:

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-stages/_index.md

Stage routing by level:

• --level=1

  (MCS-1): Stages 0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9

• --level=2

  (MCS-2): Stages 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (squad only), 6, 7, 7b-7d, 8, 9

• --level=3

  (MCS-3): Stages 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7b-7d, 8, 9

Squad-specific validation (applies at MCS-2+): When

product.type == "squad"

• Stage 5 DNA Tier 3 patterns D9, D10, D18 are MANDATORY at MCS-2 for squads (not PRO-gated). These are the coordination DNA — without them, a squad is just agents in a folder.
  • D9 (Orchestrate Don't Execute): Verify orchestrator agent's

    allowed-tools

    includes Agent but excludes Write/Edit/NotebookEdit. Orchestrator routes, never executes.
  • D10 (Handoff Specification): Verify

    config/handoff-protocol.md

    exists and contains a handoff envelope format (structured fields: from, to, task, state, constraints).
  • D18 (Subagent Isolation): Verify each agent in

    agents/*.md

    is a distinct file with its own identity. No agent definition is inlined in SQUAD.md.
• Per-agent validation: Iterate every

  agents/*.md

  file and verify individually:
  • D1: Has activation protocol or identity section
  • D2: Has anti-patterns section with ≥3 items
  • D4: Has quality gate with ≥2 verifiable criteria
  • D14: Has when-not-to-use or degradation section
• Routing completeness: Verify

  config/routing-table.md

  covers all agents listed in SQUAD.md roster. Every agent in roster must appear in at least one routing rule.
• Task registry coherence: If

  tasks/task-registry.yaml

  exists, verify each task references an agent that exists in

  agents/

  .
• Chain registry coherence: If

  chains/chain-registry.yaml

  exists, verify each chain references only agents that exist in

  agents/

  .
• Heritage coherence (entity-ontology.md §HERITAGE): Verify squad inherits DNA from agent lineage — each specialist agent in

  agents/*.md

  must independently pass agent-level DNA (D1, D2, D4, D6, D8, D11, D14, D15). The family-skill inheritance chain enforced at validation time.
• Composition coherence (entity-ontology.md §COMPOSITION): Verify squad only composes allowed entities: agents(2+), minds(0+), skills(0+), workflows(0+). If squad references hooks or claude-md fragments, flag coaching: "Squads don't contain hooks or claude-md directly — that's system-level. Consider promoting to system."
• Role coherence (entity-ontology.md §AGENT_ROLES): If

  tasks/task-registry.yaml

  exists, verify each task's

  assigned_agent

  has a ROLE consistent with the task type:
  • Write/create tasks → assigned to EXECUTOR or TRANSFORMER agents
  • Analyze/report tasks → assigned to SPECIALIST or VALIDATOR agents
  • Route/coordinate tasks → assigned to ORCHESTRATOR or ROUTER agents
  • Advise/reason tasks → assigned to ADVISOR agents Mismatch is coaching (not blocking): "Task '{task_id}' is a write task assigned to {agent} which has SPECIALIST role (read-only). Consider reassigning."
• Anatomy completeness (entity-ontology.md §SQUAD_ANATOMY): Verify all 8 squad anatomy components have content beyond WHY comments:
  1. agents/ has ≥2 files with substantive content
  2. config/routing-table.md has routing rules (not just placeholder)
  3. config/handoff-protocol.md has envelope format defined
  4. workflows/ has ≥1 workflow with steps
  5. skills/ directory exists (advisory — some squads don't need shared skills)
  6. SQUAD.md has quality/checklist section with ≥2 items
  7. kernel/ has output format standards
  8. SQUAD.md has escalation section with confidence thresholds Missing anatomy = coaching warning with specific fix instruction.
• Type fitness heuristic (entity-ontology.md §HEURISTICS): Apply promotion/demotion checks:
  • Squad with only 1 specialist agent → "This squad has only 1 specialist. Consider demoting to agent."
  • Agent primary file >800 lines → "This agent has {N} lines. Consider splitting into a squad."
  • Workflow with LLM-judgment routing → "This workflow has contextual routing. Consider promoting to squad."
• Agent role-tool coherence (entity-ontology.md §AGENT_ROLES): For each agent, if

  .meta.yaml → agent_role

  is populated:
  • EXECUTOR: must NOT deny Write/Edit/Bash
  • SPECIALIST/VALIDATOR: should deny Write/Edit/Bash (read-only)
  • ORCHESTRATOR: must have Agent tool, must deny Write/Edit/NotebookEdit
  • ADVISOR: must deny Write/Edit/Bash/NotebookEdit Mismatch → coaching: "Agent role is {role} but tool boundary doesn't match. Expected: {expected}."

Stage 9 (Voice Coherence) is the last stage at every level. Advisory — never blocks publish. Stage 9 audits the product against the myClaude voice contract (P10 Touch Integrity anchor).

UX STACK (load before rendering output)

1. references/ux-experience-system.md

   §1 Context Assembly + §2.3 Moment Awareness (pass vs fail) + §3.3 Score Trajectory

2. references/ux-vocabulary.md

   — translate tiers and terms

3. references/quality/engine-voice.md

   — Brand DNA + sfumato constraints

Cognitive rendering: /validate output adapts to creator journey. First validation pass = milestone moment (§4.1). Nth pass at 100% = skip celebration, surface next challenge ("Quality mastered. Distribution next?"). Failure = direct, prioritized, no sugar-coating. Score trajectory = show only when 2+ data points tell a meaningful story. Expert creators get technical details. Beginners get human explanation of what the score means.

SCORING & OUTPUT

Vocabulary rule: All creator-facing output uses ux-vocabulary.md tier names (Verified / Premium / Elite) instead of MCS-1/2/3. Stage names (Stage 0-9) are internal — creator sees "structure check", "content depth check", "expertise check", etc. DNA pattern IDs (D1-D20) never appear in creator output — describe the issue in plain language. Exception: developer/hybrid creators with technical_level=expert MAY see MCS-N labels with the vocabulary translation in parentheses.

Read

${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/validation-scoring.md

• Hard veto rules (pre-scoring)
• Scoring formula:

  OVERALL = (DNA×0.50) + (STRUCTURAL×0.30) + (INTEGRITY×0.20)

• Verdict logic (READY / NEEDS WORK / NOT READY)
• Output format template
• Token budget report
• Guided iteration (draft fixes for failures)
• Auto-fix rules (--fix flag)
• Batch validation (--batch)
• Publish pre-flight
• Persona-aware rendering
• State update templates (.meta.yaml + STATE.yaml)

Quality Gate

The Validator skill itself passes if:

• It correctly identifies product type from

  .meta.yaml

  or file structure
• It runs all checks appropriate for the requested MCS level
• Every failed check includes a specific, actionable fix instruction
• Score calculation matches formula:

  passed / total × 100

• .meta.yaml

  is updated after every validation run

• --fix

  never modifies content that the creator wrote

Anti-Patterns

1. Validating without reading product-dna — Always load type-specific DNA before checking patterns
2. Skipping blocking stages — Stage 1-2 must pass before Stage 3+
3. Generic fix instructions — Every failure needs a specific, actionable fix
4. Modifying creator content in --fix — Only structural/formatting fixes
5. Running Stage 8 for MCS-1 — Value intelligence adds noise at MCS-1, skip it
6. Blocking cascade hiding downstream issues — When Stage 1-2 fails, downstream stages don't run. But the creator loses visibility into DNA/content issues that exist independently. After blocking failure, emit an advisory note: "Structural issues block full validation. After fixing these, re-run to see content-level results." Never silently hide what wasn't checked.

Compact Instructions

When context is compressed, preserve:

• Product slug, type, and current MCS level being validated
• Stage progress (which stages passed/failed)
• Overall score and verdict (READY/NEEDS WORK/NOT READY)
• Top 3 failures with fix instructions
• Value intelligence score if Stage 8 ran
• Whether --fix or --batch mode is active
• UX rule: Celebrate work not person. Show score trajectory if 2+ data points. Use ux-vocabulary.md tiers (Verified/Premium/Elite not MCS-1/2/3) in user-facing output.