Fail-Fast Validation Gates

When performing checklist-style validations (or any structured verification), implement error handling that is fail-fast, deterministic, and human-actionable:

• Fail closed on “no applicable checks.” If the validator computes applicable_count == 0, do not default to PASS. Emit an explicit NEEDS_REVIEW gate decision and warning so gaps don’t masquerade as success.
• Align reporting/remediation to gate logic. Ensure the remediation buckets match the computed gate/criticality:
  • Must Fix = critical FAIL + critical PARTIAL
  • Should Improve = non-critical FAIL + non-critical PARTIAL
• Halt on internal incompleteness/inconsistency. Add sanity checks that detect partial parsing or processing loss and stop rather than continue with incomplete results. Example: compare parsed vs expected item counts and HALT if divergence exceeds a threshold (e.g., > 10%).

Example (illustrative):

applicable_count = pass_count + partial_count + fail_count

if applicable_count == 0:
  gate = "NEEDS_REVIEW"  // fail-closed, not PASS
  warn("No applicable checklist items; validation cannot determine correctness")
else if critical_fail_count > 0 or critical_partial_count > 0 or fail_count > 0:
  gate = "FAIL"
else:
  gate = "PASS"

// Remediation alignment
must_fix = critical_fail_items + critical_partial_items
should_improve = noncritical_fail_items + noncritical_partial_items

// Parsing sanity check
if parsed_item_count diverges from expected_item_count by more than 10%:
  HALT("Checklist parsing incomplete; aborting validation")

Apply this standard to validation/verification systems so failures are detected early, success isn’t falsely granted, and outputs drive clear next actions.