By name: RQML Agent Skill description: rqml, .rqml file, requirements specification, traceability — author, validate, lint, and trace RQML requirements documents through the five-stage spec-first process, driving the rqml CLI (@rqml/cli).
RQML Agent Skill
Use this skill for any task involving rqml, an .rqml file, a requirements specification, acceptance criteria, or traceability.
RQML (https://rqml.org) is an XML format for software requirements. This skill guides you through the five-stage, spec-first process and drives the rqml CLI (@rqml/cli) for every operation. It adds no engine of its own, so its results are exactly what the canonical RQML toolchain produces.
Prerequisite: the rqml CLI
Every operation runs through @rqml/cli. Check once, install if needed:
rqml --version # already installed?
npm i -g @rqml/cli # install the `rqml` command, or…
npx @rqml/cli <command> # …run on demand without installing
Requires @rqml/cli ≥ 0.7.0 (for lint, check --workspace, and spec discovery). If neither rqml nor Node is available, tell the developer — never hand-author or "eyeball" validation.
The five-stage process
RQML work follows Spec → Design → Plan → Code → Verify (https://rqml.org/docs/development-process). Each stage has a CLI move:
| Stage | Do | Commands |
|---|---|---|
| Spec | Capture intent as requirements with given/when/then acceptance criteria; only approved ones drive code |
rqml skeleton req, rqml validate, rqml approve <ID> |
| Design | Record significant decisions as ADRs in .rqml/adr/ (immutable; supersede, don't edit) |
(write the ADR) |
| Plan | Break approved requirements into stages in .rqml/plan.md |
(write the plan) |
| Code | Implement approved reqs; record trace links | rqml show <ID>, rqml impact <ID>, rqml link <ID> <path> |
| Verify | Prove coverage, catch drift; the gate must pass | rqml link <ID> <test> --type verifiedBy, rqml check |
Command reference
rqml validate [path] # XML well-formedness, XSD, referential integrity
rqml check [path] # the gate: validation + coverage + drift (exit 0 = pass)
rqml lint [path] # semantic lint; severity scales with --strictness
rqml status [path] # coverage + lint summary
rqml show <ID> # one artifact with its trace neighborhood
rqml impact <ID> # what a change to <ID> affects, transitively
rqml overview [path] # readable projection (--section / --id to scope)
rqml matrix [path] # traceability matrix: status, goals, code, tests
rqml skeleton <kind> # schema-valid snippet: req | edge | testCase | stateMachine
rqml link <ID> <uri> # record an implements edge (+ --type verifiedBy for tests)
rqml approve <ID> # transition a requirement's status (default approved)
rqml gate # block implementing non-approved requirements
rqml check --workspace # gate every spec in a monorepo, one aggregated exit code
rqml resolves the governing spec automatically by walking up from the working directory to the nearest requirements.rqml (or the sole *.rqml); pass a path or --base-dir <dir> to override. --strictness relaxed|standard|strict|certified scales how aggressively check/lint report.
Non-negotiables
- Validate after every edit (
rqml validate); never leave a spec invalid. - Finish with
rqml check— it must exit 0 at the project's strictness. - Never hand-edit trace edges — use
rqml link(it also records the drift baseline). - Never reimplement the engine — every check goes through
rqml.
More detail
references/authoring.md— the canonical RQML authoring craft (document structure, statement quality, identity, traceability).references/monorepo.md— which spec governs a file in a monorepo, and how discovery works (parent directories vs subdirectories).references/usage.md— the five-stage workflow, command by command.references/activation.md— when to activate and the trigger cues.- Canonical docs: https://rqml.org/docs/ · CLI reference: https://rqml.org/docs/tooling/cli