designlisted

# $design -- Product Validation Gate (Codex Native) > **Quick Ref:** Validates that a proposed goal aligns with the product's strategic direction before discovery begins major work. Council-gated with `--preset=product`. --- ## Quick Start ```bash $design "add caching layer for CLI" # validate goal against PRODUCT.md $design --quick "add caching layer" # inline check, no judge spawning $design --strict "redesign hook system" # higher threshold (avg >= 2.5) $design # infers goal from recent context ``` --- ## Execution Steps ### Step 0: Check for PRODUCT.md Locate `PRODUCT.md` in the repo root. ```bash ls PRODUCT.md 2>/dev/null ``` **If absent:** Output a warning and return PASS with note: "No PRODUCT.md found -- skipping product validation gate. Run `$product` to generate one." **If present:** Continue to Step 1. ### Step 1: Load Product Context Read `PRODUCT.md` and extract: - **Mission** -- the product's core purpose - **Personas** -- defined user types and their needs - **Gaps** -- known product gaps or roadmap items - **Competitive landscape** -- how the product differentiates If any section is missing, note it as unavailable and score that dimension conservatively (1). ### Step 2: Score Alignment Matrix Evaluate the proposed goal against five dimensions. Use the scoring rubric in [references/alignment-matrix.md](references/alignment-matrix.md). | Dimension | Score (0-3) | Rationale | |------