Valid JSON Is Only Half the Output Contract

Description and use

Validating Markdown structure and JSON schema ensures correct data exchange between teams.

Problem

A response can be valid JSON yet still fail to meet downstream consumer expectations due to missing or misordered sections.

Outcome

The validator identifies structural and schema violations, allowing teams to fix handoffs before downstream consumption.

Workflow

• Define the consumer requirement with a contract file (JSON Schema + Markdown rules).
• Create a handoff document (Markdown + JSON).
• Run output_contracts validate against the contract and handoff files.
• Inspect the validation report for missing sections, ordering issues, or forbidden phrases.
• Correct the handoff based on the report and re‑validate.

Evidence

Validation exits with status 1 because the fixture violates the contract.

Source

A clean validation returns 0.

Source

The JSON example requires an identifier, a constrained status, an integer count, and a non-empty items array.

Source