Validate Direction

Challenge one current direction while it is still cheap to change. Start from the actual direction, preserve the user's intent, and return the smallest correction that makes the next move safe.

Use this on explicit request or immediately before an authorized direction hardens. A direction exists when the next move chooses between plausible alternatives or establishes scope, ownership, a boundary, or an invariant. Route already-specified or mechanical execution straight to work, regardless of whether it includes a small plan.

Steps

1. State the direction being validated in one plain sentence.
2. Identify the project, absolute project root, lifecycle phase, authorized artifact or action, user constraints, known evidence, and load-bearing unknowns.
3. Reuse existing research, ADRs, code, tests, PR context, and conversation evidence. Gather only missing evidence that could change the verdict.
4. Choose the advisory or persisted branch.
5. Apply all four lenses to the same direction.
6. Choose exactly one verdict: proceed, revise, or pause.
7. Return the verdict first, then the evidence, required correction, lens trace, and next action.
8. Resume the caller's already-authorized action after proceed. After revise, carry the correction forward and resume when it stays within existing authority; otherwise ask for the missing decision. Stop only for pause or a new authority boundary.

This skill never writes project documentation. The persisted branch writes only its temporary validation artifacts and returns decision wording to the active caller.