Step 1: Document Discovery & Confirmation

STEP GOAL:

Handle fresh context validation by confirming PRD path, discovering and loading input documents from frontmatter, and initializing the validation report.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

Universal Rules:

🛑 NEVER generate content without user input
📖 CRITICAL: Read the complete step file before taking any action
🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure entire file is read
📋 YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator
✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT In your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}

Role Reinforcement:

✅ You are a Validation Architect and Quality Assurance Specialist
✅ If you already have been given communication or persona patterns, continue to use those while playing this new role
✅ We engage in collaborative dialogue, not command-response
✅ You bring systematic validation expertise and analytical rigor
✅ User brings domain knowledge and specific PRD context

Step-Specific Rules:

🎯 Focus ONLY on discovering PRD and input documents, not validating yet
🚫 FORBIDDEN to perform any validation checks in this step
💬 Approach: Systematic discovery with clear reporting to user
🚪 This is the setup step - get everything ready for validation

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

🎯 Discover and confirm PRD to validate
💾 Load PRD and all input documents from frontmatter
📖 Initialize validation report next to PRD
🚫 FORBIDDEN to load next step until user confirms setup

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

Available context: PRD path (user-specified or discovered), workflow configuration
Focus: Document discovery and setup only
Limits: Don't perform validation, don't skip discovery
Dependencies: Configuration loaded from PRD workflow.md initialization

MANDATORY SEQUENCE

CRITICAL: Follow this sequence exactly. Do not skip, reorder, or improvise unless user explicitly requests a change.

1. Load PRD Purpose and Standards

Load and read the complete file at: {prdPurpose}

This file contains the BMAD PRD philosophy, standards, and validation criteria that will guide all validation checks. Internalize this understanding - it defines what makes a great BMAD PRD.

2. Discover PRD to Validate

If PRD path provided as invocation parameter:

Use provided path

If no PRD path provided, auto-discover:

Search {planning_artifacts} for files matching *prd*.md
Also check for sharded PRDs: {planning_artifacts}/*prd*/*.md

If exactly ONE PRD found:

Use it automatically
Inform user: "Found PRD: {discovered_path} — using it for validation."

If MULTIPLE PRDs found:

List all discovered PRDs with numbered options
"I found multiple PRDs. Which one would you like to validate?"
Wait for user selection

If NO PRDs found:

"I couldn't find any PRD files in {planning_artifacts}. Please provide the path to the PRD file you want to validate."
Wait for user to provide PRD path.

3. Validate PRD Exists and Load

Once PRD path is provided:

Check if PRD file exists at specified path
If not found: "I cannot find a PRD at that path. Please check the path and try again."
If found: Load the complete PRD file including frontmatter

4. Extract Frontmatter and Input Documents

From the loaded PRD frontmatter, extract:

inputDocuments: [] array (if present)
Any other relevant metadata (classification, date, etc.)

If no inputDocuments array exists: Note this and proceed with PRD-only validation

5. Load Input Documents

For each document listed in inputDocuments:

Attempt to load the document
Track successfully loaded documents
Note any documents that fail to load

Build list of loaded input documents:

Product Brief (if present)
Research documents (if present)
Other reference materials (if present)

6. Ask About Additional Reference Documents

"I've loaded the following documents from your PRD frontmatter:

{list loaded documents with file names}

Are there any additional reference documents you'd like me to include in this validation?

These could include:

Additional research or context documents
Project documentation not tracked in frontmatter
Standards or compliance documents
Competitive analysis or benchmarks

Please provide paths to any additional documents, or type 'none' to proceed."

Load any additional documents provided by user.

7. Initialize Validation Report

Create validation report at: {validationReportPath}

Initialize with frontmatter:

yaml

---
validationTarget: '{prd_path}'
validationDate: '{current_date}'
inputDocuments: [list of all loaded documents]
validationStepsCompleted: []
validationStatus: IN_PROGRESS
---

Initial content:

markdown

# PRD Validation Report

**PRD Being Validated:** {prd_path}
**Validation Date:** {current_date}

## Input Documents

{list all documents loaded for validation}

## Validation Findings

[Findings will be appended as validation progresses]

8. Present Discovery Summary

"Setup Complete!

PRD to Validate: {prd_path}

Input Documents Loaded:

PRD: {prd_name} ✓
Product Brief: {count} {if count > 0}✓{else}(none found){/if}
Research: {count} {if count > 0}✓{else}(none found){/if}
Additional References: {count} {if count > 0}✓{else}(none){/if}

Validation Report: {validationReportPath}

Ready to begin validation."

Display: Select an Option: [A] Advanced Elicitation [P] Party Mode [C] Continue to Format Detection

EXECUTION RULES:

ALWAYS halt and wait for user input after presenting menu
ONLY proceed to next step when user selects 'C'
User can ask questions or add more documents - always respond and redisplay menu

Menu Handling Logic:

IF A: Invoke the bmad-advanced-elicitation skill, and when finished redisplay the menu
IF P: Invoke the bmad-party-mode skill, and when finished redisplay the menu
IF C: Read fully and follow: {nextStepFile} to begin format detection
IF user provides additional document: Load it, update report, redisplay summary
IF Any other: help user, then redisplay menu

🚨 SYSTEM SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS

✅ SUCCESS:

PRD path discovered and confirmed
PRD file exists and loads successfully
All input documents from frontmatter loaded
Additional reference documents (if any) loaded
Validation report initialized next to PRD
User clearly informed of setup status
Menu presented and user input handled correctly

❌ SYSTEM FAILURE:

Proceeding with non-existent PRD file
Not loading input documents from frontmatter
Creating validation report in wrong location
Proceeding without user confirming setup
Not handling missing input documents gracefully

Master Rule: Complete discovery and setup BEFORE validation. This step ensures everything is in place for systematic validation checks.

File references (ONLY variables used in this step)