Do not confuse these three conclusions
Completing a feature also requires
review record and feature complete; none of these conclusions is sufficient on its own.
verify output
verify exits nonzero and records failed evidence. Use evidence manual for manual verification.
validate output
Auditor categories
[schema]
Checks JSON Schema, including field types, required fields, status enums, and manual/automated types. Fix the structure first so other auditors have reliable input.
[structural]
Checks top-level fields, a non-empty feature list, unique IDs, known milestones, and at least one verification item. Do not use duplicate IDs or empty verification arrays as temporary placeholders.
[dependency-cycles]
Checks unknown dependencies and dependency cycles. An error shows the cycle, such as A -> B -> A. Split the work differently or reverse the dependency direction.
[dependency-readiness]
Every dependency of an in_progress feature must already be passing. Complete the dependency first, or block and reschedule the current feature.
[milestone-order]
An earlier milestone cannot depend on a feature in a later milestone. Adjust milestone order or dependency ownership.
[stage-gate]
Real features must have source_refs that resolve to files in the repository. Use stable paths and IDs for requirements, acceptance criteria, or ADRs.
[pass-gate]
Checks the per-owner WIP limit, prevents placeholders from becoming passing, and checks passing evidence for every verification item, independent review, and monotonic passing status. Prefer lifecycle commands for repairs; do not edit status manually.
[adr-coverage]
Every topic in requiredAdrTopics must be covered by matching frontmatter topic in docs/adr/.
[agents-onboarding]
When a repository already has AGENTS.md and adopt creates a sidecar, the root protocol must explicitly reference AGENTS.sdlc-harness.md.
[feedback-log]
When observability is not none, checks feedback entry dates, sources, observations, S1-S4 severity, and dispositions. Deferred and Declined entries also require a reason.
[artifact-approval]
An artifact approval becomes invalid when the artifact is missing or its content hash differs from the approved version. After confirming the new content, run evidence approval again.
[traceability]
Checks uncovered requirements, orphan stories and features, and uncovered or unverified acceptance criteria. Use traceability to view the complete matrix.
Git baseline
Passing monotonicity prefers comparison against the Git history atHARNESS_BASE_REF, GITHUB_BASE_REF, origin/main, or main. Without available history, it falls back to the last successful local audit snapshot. CI should use full history or an explicit baseline.
GitHub conclusions
provider github check outputs PASS, FAIL, or UNKNOWN. UNKNOWN means the current token cannot read an administrative setting. It is a degraded warning and must not be represented as “the check passed.”
Recommended troubleshooting order
[schema]and[structural].- Dependency cycles, milestone order, and readiness.
source_refs, ADRs, and traceability.- WIP, verification, review, and approval.
- Run
validateagain. Do not delete erroneous state to hide a problem.