Agent skill · software engineering · rknall
GitLab Stack Validator
Validates GitLab stack projects before deployment, ensuring proper architecture patterns, directory structure, secrets management, .env configuration, and Docker best practices. Use when users ask to validate a stack, check stack configuration, verify stack architecture, audit stack setup, or ensure stack deployment readiness.
Why this skill is useful
Adds specific validation scripts for GitLab stack architecture that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires docker installed locally. About 9k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2025-10-20. 58 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
GitLab Stack Validator This skill validates GitLab stack projects to ensure they follow proper architecture patterns and are ready for deployment. It focuses on detection and reporting of issues, working alongside companion skills (stack-creator, secrets-manager) for remediation. When to Use This Skill Activate this skill when the user requests: Validate a GitLab stack project Check stack configuration before deployment Verify stack architecture and structure Audit stack for best practices compliance Ensure stack follows proper patterns Pre-deployment validation checks Stack health check or readiness verification Core Validation Principles This skill validates stacks that follow these architecture principles: 1. Configuration Management: All configuration through docker-compose.yml and ./config directory 2. Secrets Management: Secrets stored in ./secrets and referenced via Docker secrets 3. Environment Variables: .env file with matching .env.example template 4. Minimal Custom Scripts: docker-entrypoint.sh only when containers don't support native secrets 5. Proper Ownership: No root-owned files (all files owned by Docker user) 6. Temporary Files: temporary directory for transient files that are cleaned up after use 7. Docker Best Practices: Leverage docker-validation skill for Docker-specific checks Validation Workflow When a user requests stack validation, follow this comprehensive workflow: Phase 1: Pre-flight Checks Step 1: Verify Stack Project 1. Check if current directory appears to be a stack project 2. Look for key indicators: docker-compose.yml exists Presence of ./config, ./secrets, or ./temporary directories .env file exists 3. If not a stack project, report findings and ask if user wants to initialize one Step 2: Gather Context 1. Ask user for validation scope (if needed): Full validation or targeted checks? Strict mode or permissive mode? Output format preference (text report vs JSON)? 2. Check if .stack-validator.yml exists for custom rules 3. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills rknall/stack-validator