# Application Validation

## ADDED Requirements

### Requirement: Application Validation Command

The system SHALL provide a `/validate-application` slash command that validates application.md completeness before document generation.

#### Scenario: Validate from current directory

- **WHEN** user runs `/validate-application` from inside an application folder (e.g., `applications/pending/2025-11-02-TechCorp-Developer/`)
- **THEN** system validates the `application.md` file in the current directory

#### Scenario: Validate with explicit path

- **WHEN** user runs `/validate-application 2025-11-02-TechCorp-Developer`
- **THEN** system validates `applications/pending/2025-11-02-TechCorp-Developer/application.md`

#### Scenario: Handle invalid location without parameter

- **WHEN** user runs `/validate-application` from a directory that is not an application folder
- **THEN** system displays error message and lists available applications in `applications/pending/`

#### Scenario: Handle non-existent application with parameter

- **WHEN** user runs `/validate-application non-existent-app`
- **THEN** system displays error that application doesn't exist and lists available applications

#### Scenario: Handle missing application.md

- **WHEN** validation target directory exists but has no `application.md` file
- **THEN** system displays error: "No application.md found. This doesn't appear to be a valid application folder."

### Requirement: Required Section Validation

The validation SHALL check that required sections contain real content, not placeholders.

#### Scenario: Organization Information is required

- **WHEN** Organization Information section contains placeholders like `[To be filled]` or `[Organization name]`
- **THEN** validation fails with specific error: "Organization Name: Contains placeholder '[To be filled]'"

#### Scenario: Job Title is required

- **WHEN** Job Information section has placeholder job title like `[Job Title]`
- **THEN** validation fails with specific error: "Job Title: Contains placeholder '[Job Title]'"

#### Scenario: Job Description Summary must have content

- **WHEN** Job Description Summary section is empty or only contains placeholder text
- **THEN** validation fails with error: "Job Description Summary: No content found"

#### Scenario: At least some job requirements documented

- **WHEN** Responsibilities, Required Skills, or other job description subsections all contain only placeholders
- **THEN** validation fails with error listing which subsections need content

#### Scenario: Partial completion is acceptable

- **WHEN** Organization Name and Job Title are filled, and at least one job description subsection has real content
- **THEN** validation passes even if other optional fields have placeholders

### Requirement: Optional Section Handling

The validation SHALL NOT fail for incomplete optional sections.

#### Scenario: Match Strategy is optional

- **WHEN** Match Strategy section contains placeholders or is empty
- **THEN** validation does not fail (this section is optional)

#### Scenario: Key Messages is optional

- **WHEN** Key Messages section contains placeholders
- **THEN** validation does not fail

#### Scenario: Tone of Voice is optional

- **WHEN** Tone of Voice section is empty or has placeholders
- **THEN** validation does not fail

#### Scenario: Research Notes is optional

- **WHEN** Research Notes section is empty
- **THEN** validation does not fail (user may not have research yet)

### Requirement: Placeholder Detection

The validation SHALL detect various placeholder patterns.

#### Scenario: Detect square bracket placeholders

- **WHEN** content contains `[To be filled]`, `[Organization name]`, `[Any text]`
- **THEN** system identifies these as placeholders

#### Scenario: Detect generic template text

- **WHEN** content contains unchanged template phrases like "Add organization information here"
- **THEN** system identifies these as incomplete

#### Scenario: Allow legitimate brackets

- **WHEN** content contains legitimate bracket uses like `[PhD]` in a name or `[Acquired by X]` in context
- **THEN** system does not flag these as placeholders (context-aware detection)

#### Scenario: Detect empty sections

- **WHEN** a required section exists but has no content after the heading
- **THEN** system identifies this as incomplete

### Requirement: Population Awareness

The validation SHALL check if the application has been properly populated from input documents.

#### Scenario: Warn if input folder is empty

- **WHEN** `input/` folder doesn't exist or contains no files
- **THEN** validation includes warning: "Input folder is empty. Consider adding documents and running /populate-application"

#### Scenario: Suggest population if sections are empty

- **WHEN** most sections still contain `[To be filled]` placeholders
- **THEN** validation suggests: "Application appears unpopulated. Run /populate-application after adding documents to input/"

#### Scenario: Don't warn if manually populated

- **WHEN** required sections are filled with real content (even if `input/` is empty)
- **THEN** validation does not suggest running `/populate-application`

### Requirement: Pass/Fail Reporting

The validation SHALL use binary pass/fail status with structured output.

#### Scenario: Successful validation output

- **WHEN** all required sections are complete
- **THEN** system displays:
  - ✅ emoji and "Application Validation: PASSED" title
  - Summary of application (organization, position, key stats)
  - Encouraging message
  - Clear next step: "You can now proceed with generating..."

#### Scenario: Failed validation output

- **WHEN** any required section has placeholders or is empty
- **THEN** system displays:
  - ❌ emoji and "Application Validation: FAILED" title
  - Explanation of the issue
  - Structured list of problems organized by section
  - Specific placeholder text quoted for each issue
  - Actionable guidance: "Please update application.md... then run /validate-application again"

#### Scenario: Include population warnings in failure output

- **WHEN** validation fails AND input folder is empty
- **THEN** failure output includes additional "Population Status" section with suggestions

### Requirement: Error Message Clarity

The validation SHALL provide clear, actionable error messages.

#### Scenario: Quote specific placeholder text

- **WHEN** a field contains placeholder `[Company Name Here]`
- **THEN** error message shows: "Organization Name: Contains placeholder '[Company Name Here]'"

#### Scenario: Group errors by section

- **WHEN** multiple fields in Job Description Summary are incomplete
- **THEN** errors are grouped under "## Job Description Summary" heading with individual items listed

#### Scenario: Provide next steps

- **WHEN** validation fails
- **THEN** output includes clear guidance: "Please update application.md to fill in these sections, then run /validate-application again"

#### Scenario: List available applications on location error

- **WHEN** user runs command from wrong location without parameter
- **THEN** error message includes: "Available applications:" followed by list from `ls applications/pending/`

### Requirement: Edge Case Handling

The validation SHALL handle edge cases gracefully.

#### Scenario: Handle corrupted or unreadable application.md

- **WHEN** application.md exists but cannot be read or parsed
- **THEN** system displays error: "Could not read application.md. File may be corrupted."

#### Scenario: Handle very long placeholder text

- **WHEN** placeholder text is longer than 100 characters
- **THEN** error message truncates it: "Contains placeholder '[First 100 chars...]'"

#### Scenario: Handle missing required sections

- **WHEN** application.md is missing entire required sections (e.g., no Job Information section)
- **THEN** validation fails with error: "Missing required section: Job Information"

#### Scenario: Case-insensitive section matching

- **WHEN** section headings use different cases (e.g., "organization information" vs "Organization Information")
- **THEN** system correctly identifies the section

### Requirement: Workflow Integration

The validation command SHALL integrate with the existing application workflow.

#### Scenario: Documentation includes validation step

- **WHEN** user checks `src/CLAUDE.md` workflow documentation
- **THEN** validation step is shown between "Populate application" and "Generate documents"

#### Scenario: Validation mentioned in populate-application

- **WHEN** `/populate-application` completes successfully
- **THEN** output suggests: "Next: Run /validate-application to check completeness"

#### Scenario: Consistent with profile validation

- **WHEN** comparing `/validate-application` output to `/validate-profile` output
- **THEN** format, tone, and structure are consistent (both use ✅/❌, structured errors, encouraging tone)