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/specweave:validate Command

The /specweave:validate command runs fast, rule-based validation with 120+ checks on increment files.

What It Does​

Key validations:

  • Consistency (spec -> plan -> tasks alignment)
  • Completeness (all required sections present)
  • Quality (testable criteria, actionable tasks)
  • Traceability (AC-IDs, ADR references)

Usage​

# Basic validation
/specweave:validate 0007

# Include AI quality assessment
/specweave:validate 0007 --quality

# Export suggestions to tasks.md
/specweave:validate 0007 --export

Validation Categories​

1. Structure Validation​

✅ spec.md exists
✅ plan.md exists
✅ tasks.md exists
✅ metadata.json exists

2. Spec Validation​

✅ User stories present
✅ Acceptance criteria defined
✅ AC-IDs unique (AC-US1-01, AC-US1-02...)
✅ YAML frontmatter valid

3. Plan Validation​

✅ Architecture section present
✅ Technology stack defined
✅ ADRs referenced
✅ Test strategy included

4. Tasks Validation​

✅ All tasks have T-XXX format
✅ Tasks reference user stories
✅ Tasks reference AC-IDs
✅ BDD test cases embedded

5. Traceability Validation​

✅ Every AC-ID has tasks
✅ Every task references valid AC-ID
✅ No orphan acceptance criteria
✅ No orphan tasks

Output Example​

$ /specweave:validate 0007

🔍 Validating: 0007-user-authentication

📋 Structure: ✅ 4/4 files present
📝 Spec: ✅ 15/15 checks pass
📐 Plan: ✅ 12/12 checks pass
✅ Tasks: ⚠️ 18/20 checks pass
🔗 Traceability: ✅ 10/10 checks pass

⚠️ Issues Found (2):

1. T-023 missing AC-ID reference
   Location: tasks.md:145
   Suggestion: Add "Satisfies ACs: AC-US2-03"

2. AC-US3-02 has no tasks
   Location: spec.md:78
   Suggestion: Create task for "Rate limiting check"

📊 Overall: 55/57 checks pass (96%)

💡 Run with --export to add fix tasks

Validation vs QA​

Aspect/specweave:validate/specweave:qa
SpeedFast (seconds)Slower (AI analysis)
CostFree (rule-based)Uses AI tokens
DepthSurface checksDeep analysis
UsePre-flight checkQuality gate