Validation and preflight

Check what the workflow means, then check whether the machine can execute it.

The three checks

Command	Checks	Executes nodes?
Raticode rattish format	Canonical source spelling and layout	No
Raticode rattish check	Grammar, contracts, types, bindings, and graph semantics	No
Raticode rattish preflight	Compilation plus deployment resources and readiness	No

Run them against the actual workflow.rattish path:

Raticode rattish format WORKFLOW_PATH
Raticode rattish check WORKFLOW_PATH --format json
Raticode rattish preflight WORKFLOW_PATH --format json

format changes the source. Use format --check in CI, or format --stdout to inspect canonical text without modifying the file.

Compiler diagnostics

Unknown fields, invalid provider identifiers, incompatible bindings, missing required fields, unreachable failure routes, and contradictory endpoints are source problems. Fix them before investigating credentials or command installation.

Diagnostics have stable codes, severities, and source locations. JSON output includes ok, the source path, cache information, and the diagnostic list. A warning can coexist with ok: true; read it rather than treating success as an empty review.

Preflight diagnostics

Preflight checks the current machine each time. Examples include a missing Bash or Python interpreter, an unreadable script or file, an unavailable provider executable, an incompatible profile, missing secret values, and an unwritable destination.

A valid workflow can fail preflight on another machine. Conversely, an authenticated provider cannot fix a source contract error. Preflight does not prove a network request will succeed or that an agent will produce the result you intend.

Exit codes

For check and preflight, 0 means no error diagnostics, 1 means language or readiness errors, and 2 means source, artifact, or usage failure. Run also reports failed execution with 1; invalid CLI or declared workflow input uses 2.

Use Raticode rattish inspect-ir WORKFLOW_PATH to inspect validated internal representation. Do not edit that output as the workflow source.

Validate examples for your environment

File and script examples need their referenced resources. Agent examples need the selected provider and account. A warning about missing local setup belongs in your review even when a documentation example is structurally correct.

Next: Runs and approvals or Troubleshooting.