Validation & Review

Workflows

Validation & Review

Define configuration contracts, find missing or invalid values, and scan the repository for hard-coded secrets and environment drift.

Validation and Review differ

Validation checks environment values against an explicit schema. Review inspects repository hygiene, including hard-coded secrets and environment drift. Run both: a value can satisfy its schema while the same credential is accidentally embedded in source code.

Validation rules

The Validation page lists project rules from .ghostable/schema.yaml and shows diagnostics for the current environment. Add rules for keys whose absence or shape should block a release.

Supported rules are defined by the bundled CLI and include common contracts such as:

required
Require the key to exist and contain an acceptable value.
format / pattern
Require a value to match an expected shape.
allowed values
Restrict a key to an approved set.
different_from
Require the value to differ from another environment.
unique
Require an environment-specific value where reuse would be unsafe.

Use the CLI Validation reference for the current rule grammar and edge cases. Desktop edits the same schema.

Ghostable Desktop project validation rules and diagnostics

Global rules and environment overrides make missing or invalid configuration explicit.

Environment overrides

Global rules apply across environments. Environment overrides narrow or adjust a rule for one target, such as enforcing a production-only hostname or allowing a development placeholder.

Prefer a clear global contract plus small overrides. Duplicating the entire schema per environment makes drift harder to review.

Review scanning

The Review page runs repository checks through the CLI. Hard-coded secret findings identify likely credentials in tracked or working-tree source. Environment checks surface keys that are missing, unexpectedly reused, or inconsistent with project expectations.

Review findings are evidence, not automatic rotation. If a real credential reached source or Git history, remove it from code, rotate it at the provider, update Ghostable, and assess the history separately.

Ghostable Desktop project Review results for environment and secret findings

Review combines ENV diagnostics, hard-coded secret scanning, and hygiene findings.

Scan levels and ignored paths

relaxed
Lower-noise checks for repositories with many fixtures or generated patterns.
standard
The default balance for normal application repositories.
strict
Broader detection when false positives are acceptable during a security-focused review.

Ignored paths are project policy. Keep the list narrow and review every addition. Generated directories and encrypted Ghostable value paths are reasonable defaults; application source should not be excluded merely to make a finding disappear.

Before committing

  1. Resolve blocking validation errors for each changed environment.
  2. Run Review at the project's configured scan level.
  3. Investigate new findings and document intentional exceptions through project policy.
  4. Inspect the Git diff for schema, scan settings, ignored paths, and encrypted state.
  5. Commit the smallest coherent change.
CLI 3.x introduction Documentation
Installation Documentation
Start a new project Getting Started
Adopt an existing project Getting Started
Onboard a team member Getting Started
Repository and storage Core Concepts
Environments Core Concepts
Variables and promotions Core Concepts
Access and devices Core Concepts
Daily development workflow Workflows
Review and secret scanning Workflows
Hygiene and rotation Workflows
Automation credentials Automation & CI
Continuous integration Automation & CI
Deployments Automation & CI
Validation Reference
Command reference Reference
Configuration Reference
Security Reference
Backups & Offline Reference
Agent integration Reference
Troubleshooting Reference
Ghostable Desktop overview Desktop
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Projects and setup Desktop
Interface tour Desktop
Environments and variables Desktop
Local environment files Desktop
Validation and review Desktop
Activity Desktop
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Project settings Desktop
Application settings Desktop
Licensing and updates Desktop
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Troubleshooting Desktop
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