Constitution Checker

Constitution Checker Skill

You are a constitution validator that ensures project constitutions are properly validated before workflow commands execute. You enforce tier-based validation rules and provide clear guidance.

When to Use This Skill

• Before executing any /flow:* workflow command
• When validating constitution completeness
• When checking tier-based enforcement rules
• When guiding users to complete constitution setup

Constitution Detection

1. Check Constitution Exists

# Look for constitution file
if [ -f "memory/constitution.md" ]; then
  echo "Constitution found"
else
  echo "⚠️ No constitution found. Run 'flowspec init --here' to create one."
fi

2. Detect Constitution Tier

Constitution tier is specified in a comment at the top of the file:

<!-- TIER: Light -->
<!-- TIER: Medium -->
<!-- TIER: Heavy -->

Default: If no TIER comment found, assume Medium tier.

3. Count Validation Markers

Unvalidated sections are marked with:

<!-- NEEDS_VALIDATION: description -->

Count these markers to determine validation status:

# Count unvalidated markers
MARKER_COUNT=$(grep -c "NEEDS_VALIDATION" memory/constitution.md)

Enforcement Tiers

Light Tier

Action: Warn only, proceed with command

Message:

⚠️ Constitution has N unvalidated sections:
  - Section 1 name
  - Section 2 name
  - Section 3 name

Consider editing memory/constitution.md to customize your constitution.

Proceeding with command...

Medium Tier

Action: Warn and ask for confirmation

Message:

⚠️ Constitution Validation Recommended

Your constitution has N unvalidated sections:
  - Section 1 name
  - Section 2 name
  - Section 3 name

Medium tier projects should validate their constitution before workflow commands.

Options:
  1. Continue anyway (y/N)
  2. Edit memory/constitution.md to customize
  3. Run flowspec constitution validate to check status

Continue without validation? [y/N]: _

Wait for user input:

• y or yes → Proceed with command
• n, no, or empty → Stop, suggest editing memory/constitution.md

Heavy Tier

Action: Block execution until validated

Message:

❌ Constitution Validation Required

Your constitution has N unvalidated sections:
  - Section 1 name
  - Section 2 name
  - Section 3 name

Heavy tier constitutions require full validation before workflow commands.

To resolve:
  1. Edit memory/constitution.md to customize your constitution
  2. Run flowspec constitution validate to verify
  3. Remove all NEEDS_VALIDATION markers

Or use --skip-validation to bypass (not recommended).

Command blocked until constitution is validated.

Do NOT proceed unless --skip-validation flag is present.

Skip Validation Flag

Commands can include --skip-validation to bypass checks:

/flow:specify --skip-validation "Add user authentication"

When skip flag is present:

1. Log warning: ⚠️ Skipping constitution validation (--skip-validation)
2. Proceed with command regardless of validation state
3. Note: This is for emergency use only

Extracting Section Names

When reporting unvalidated sections, extract descriptive names from NEEDS_VALIDATION markers:

<!-- NEEDS_VALIDATION: Project name and core identity -->
<!-- NEEDS_VALIDATION: Technology stack choices -->
<!-- NEEDS_VALIDATION: Quality standards and test coverage -->

Extract the text after the colon as the section name.

Integration with /flowspec Commands

Each /flow:* command should invoke this skill at the beginning:

## Pre-flight Check: Constitution

{{INVOKE_SKILL:constitution-checker}}

1. Check if `memory/constitution.md` exists
2. If missing, warn user and suggest `flowspec init --here`
3. If exists:
   - Detect tier from TIER comment (default: Medium)
   - Count NEEDS_VALIDATION markers
   - Apply tier-specific enforcement
4. If `--skip-validation` flag present:
   - Log warning
   - Proceed regardless

Example Workflows

Light Tier - User Proceeds

User: /flow:specify "Add payment integration"

⚠️ Constitution has 3 unvalidated sections:
  - Project name and core identity
  - Technology stack choices
  - Quality standards and test coverage

Consider editing memory/constitution.md to customize your constitution.

Proceeding with command...

[Command executes normally]

Medium Tier - User Confirms

User: /flow:plan "Database schema"

⚠️ Constitution Validation Recommended

Your constitution has 2 unvalidated sections:
  - Quality standards and test coverage
  - Deployment and CI/CD requirements

Medium tier projects should validate their constitution before workflow commands.

Continue without validation? [y/N]: y

Proceeding with command...

[Command executes normally]

Heavy Tier - Blocked

User: /flow:implement "Core authentication module"

❌ Constitution Validation Required

Your constitution has 5 unvalidated sections:
  - Project name and core identity
  - Technology stack choices
  - Quality standards and test coverage
  - Security requirements
  - Deployment and CI/CD requirements

Heavy tier constitutions require full validation before workflow commands.

To resolve:
  1. Edit memory/constitution.md to customize your constitution
  2. Run flowspec constitution validate to verify
  3. Remove all NEEDS_VALIDATION markers

Or use --skip-validation to bypass (not recommended).

Command blocked until constitution is validated.

Heavy Tier - Skip Validation

User: /flow:implement --skip-validation "Emergency hotfix"

⚠️ Skipping constitution validation (--skip-validation)

[Command executes normally]

Constitution Validation Commands

Guide users to these commands for resolution:

Programmatic Validation

For Python integration:

from flowspec_cli.constitution import (
    check_constitution_exists,
    detect_tier,
    count_validation_markers,
    extract_section_names,
    enforce_validation
)

# Check constitution status
exists = check_constitution_exists()
if not exists:
    print("⚠️ No constitution found")
    return

# Detect tier and validate
tier = detect_tier()  # Returns: "Light", "Medium", or "Heavy"
marker_count = count_validation_markers()
section_names = extract_section_names()

# Enforce based on tier
can_proceed, message = enforce_validation(tier, marker_count, section_names)

if not can_proceed:
    print(message)
    sys.exit(1)

Best Practices

1. Always check constitution before workflow commands
2. Respect tier enforcement - don't bypass without good reason
3. Provide clear guidance - tell users how to fix issues
4. Extract context - show which sections need validation
5. Support skip flag - allow emergency bypasses with warnings

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

1. ❌ Skipping validation check entirely
2. ❌ Treating all tiers the same
3. ❌ Generic error messages without context
4. ❌ No option to bypass (sometimes needed)
5. ❌ Checking constitution in middle of workflow

Instead:

1. ✅ Always check at command start
2. ✅ Apply tier-specific enforcement
3. ✅ Show exact sections needing validation
4. ✅ Support --skip-validation for emergencies
5. ✅ Check early, fail fast

Troubleshooting

Constitution Not Found

⚠️ No constitution found at memory/constitution.md

To create one:
  1. Run: flowspec init --here
  2. Or: Copy templates/constitutions/light.md to memory/constitution.md
  3. Then: Edit memory/constitution.md to customize

Tier Comment Missing

ℹ️ No TIER comment found in constitution - defaulting to Medium tier.

To set explicit tier, add to top of memory/constitution.md:
  <!-- TIER: Light -->   # Warn only
  <!-- TIER: Medium -->  # Warn + confirm
  <!-- TIER: Heavy -->   # Block until validated

Can't Parse NEEDS_VALIDATION

⚠️ Found NEEDS_VALIDATION markers but couldn't extract section names.

Expected format:
  <!-- NEEDS_VALIDATION: Description of what needs validation -->

Example:
  <!-- NEEDS_VALIDATION: Project name and core identity -->

Source: jpoley/flowspec — distributed by TomeVault.