Validation Rules

Purpose: Process Guard validation rules and FSM reference Detail Level: Overview with links to details

Overview

Process Guard validates delivery workflow changes at commit time using a Decider pattern. It enforces the 4-state FSM defined in PDR-005 and prevents common workflow violations.

6 validation rules | 4 FSM states | 3 protection levels

Validation Rules

Rules are checked in order. Errors block commit; warnings are informational.

Rule ID	Severity	Description
`completed-protection`	error	Completed specs require unlock-reason tag to modify
`invalid-status-transition`	error	Status transitions must follow FSM path
`scope-creep`	error	Active specs cannot add new deliverables
`session-scope`	warning	File outside session scope
`session-excluded`	error	File explicitly excluded from session
`deliverable-removed`	warning	Deliverable was removed from spec

Full error catalog with fix instructions

FSM State Diagram

Valid transitions per PDR-005 MVP Workflow:

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> roadmap: new pattern
    roadmap --> active
    roadmap --> deferred
    active --> completed
    active --> roadmap: blocked/regressed
    deferred --> roadmap
    completed --> [*]: terminal

Valid Transitions:

roadmap -> active -> completed (normal flow)
active -> roadmap (blocked/regressed)
roadmap <-> deferred (parking)

Detailed transition matrix

Protection Levels

Protection levels determine what modifications are allowed per status.

Status	Protection	Can Add Deliverables	Needs Unlock
`roadmap`	none	Yes	No
`active`	scope	No	No
`completed`	hard	No	Yes
`deferred`	none	Yes	No

Protection level details

CLI Usage

# Pre-commit (default mode)
lint-process --staged

# CI pipeline with strict mode
lint-process --all --strict

# Override session scope checking
lint-process --staged --ignore-session

# Debug: show derived process state
lint-process --staged --show-state

Options

Flag	Description
`--staged`	Validate staged files only (pre-commit)
`--all`	Validate all tracked files (CI)
`--strict`	Treat warnings as errors (exit 1)
`--ignore-session`	Skip session scope validation
`--show-state`	Debug: show derived process state
`--format json`	Machine-readable JSON output

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	No errors (warnings allowed unless `--strict`)
`1`	Errors found or warnings with `--strict`

Escape Hatches

Override mechanisms for exceptional situations.

Situation	Solution	Example
Fix bug in completed spec	Add unlock reason tag	`@libar-docs-unlock-reason:'Fix-typo'`
Modify outside session scope	Use ignore flag	`lint-process --staged --ignore-session`
CI treats warnings as errors	Use strict flag	`lint-process --all --strict`