---

name: validate-requirements description: Validate requirements quality - unique keys, acceptance criteria, testability, clarity. Sensor detecting requirement quality issues. Use before moving to Design stage or as quality gate. allowed-tools: [Read, Grep, Glob]

validate-requirements

Skill Type: Sensor (Quality Gate) Purpose: Validate requirement quality and completeness Prerequisites: Requirements exist in documentation

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Agent Instructions

You are validating requirement quality as a quality gate.

Validation checks:

1. Unique REQ-* keys (no duplicates)
2. Valid key format (matches pattern)
3. Acceptance criteria present
4. Testable format (can write tests)
5. Traceability to intent
6. No ambiguous language

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Validation Checks

Check 1: Unique Keys

Rule: All REQ-* keys must be unique

Copy# Find duplicates
grep -rho "^## REQ-[A-Z-]*-[0-9]*" docs/requirements/ | sort | uniq -d

Example:

Copy✅ Pass: All REQ-* keys unique
❌ Fail: <REQ-ID> appears in 2 files

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Check 2: Valid Key Format

Rule: All keys must match REQ-* pattern

Copy# Check format
grep -rh "^## REQ-" docs/requirements/ | grep -vE "^## REQ-(F|NFR|DATA|BR)-[A-Z]{2,10}-[0-9]{3}"

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Check 3: Acceptance Criteria

Rule: All requirements must have acceptance criteria

Copy# Find requirements without AC
grep -rn "^## REQ-" docs/requirements/ | while read line; do
  file=$(echo "$line" | cut -d: -f1)
  # Check if AC section exists after requirement
  grep -A 20 "$line" "$file" | grep -q "Acceptance Criteria" || echo "Missing AC: $line"
done

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Check 4: Testability

Rule: Acceptance criteria must be testable

❌ Not Testable:

CopyAcceptance Criteria:
- System should be user-friendly
- Performance should be good

✅ Testable:

CopyAcceptance Criteria:
- Login response time < 500ms (p95)
- User sees "Welcome" message after successful login

---

Check 5: Traceability

Rule: All REQ-* must link to INT-*

Copy# Find requirements without intent link
grep -rn "^## REQ-" docs/requirements/ | while read line; do
  file=$(echo "$line" | cut -d: -f1)
  grep -A 10 "$line" "$file" | grep -q "Intent: INT-" || echo "Missing Intent: $line"
done

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Check 6: Ambiguous Language

Detect vague terms:

• "user-friendly", "fast", "good", "better", "nice"
• "should", "might", "possibly"
• "etc.", "and so on"

Replace with:

• Specific measurements ("response time < 500ms")
• Clear criteria ("user sees confirmation message")
• Complete lists (no "etc.")

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Output Format

Copy[VALIDATE REQUIREMENTS]

Total Requirements Scanned: 42

✅ PASSED Checks (5/6):
  ✓ Unique keys: All REQ-* unique
  ✓ Valid format: All keys match pattern
  ✓ Acceptance criteria: All requirements have AC
  ✓ Traceability: All link to INT-*
  ✓ Testability: All AC measurable

❌ FAILED Checks (1/6):
  ✗ Ambiguous language: 3 requirements contain vague terms

Issues Found:

Ambiguous Language (3 requirements):
  1. REQ-F-PORTAL-001:
     - Line 45: "User interface should be user-friendly"
     - Fix: Replace with "User can complete task in ≤3 clicks"

  2. REQ-NFR-PERF-002:
     - Line 23: "Database performance should be good"
     - Fix: Replace with "Database queries complete in <100ms (p95)"

  3. REQ-F-NOTIF-001:
     - Line 67: "Notifications should be sent quickly"
     - Fix: Replace with "Notifications sent within 5 seconds"

Recommendations:
  1. Fix 3 requirements with ambiguous language
  2. Re-run validation after fixes
  3. Proceed to Design stage after all checks pass

Validation Status: ⚠️ FAILED (6 issues)
Quality Gate: ❌ BLOCKED (fix issues before proceeding)

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Quality Gate Behavior

If validation passes:

Copy✅ All Requirements Valid

Quality gate: PASS
Ready for: Design stage

If validation fails:

Copy❌ Validation Failed (6 issues)

Quality gate: BLOCKED
Action required: Fix issues before Design stage
Recommendation: Update requirements and re-validate

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Notes

Why validate requirements?

• Quality gate: Ensure requirements are implementation-ready
• Prevent rework: Catch issues before coding starts
• Compliance: Regulations require traceable, testable requirements
• Clear specs: Ambiguous requirements → ambiguous code

Homeostasis Goal:

Copydesired_state:
  all_requirements_valid: true
  quality_issues: 0
  ready_for_design_stage: true

"Excellence or nothing" 🔥