The validate command supports file-level JSON/session checks and native archive-integrity checks.

File validation

go-minitrace validate --path ./session.minitrace.json
go-minitrace validate --path ./output --recursive --output json

File mode reports path, valid_json, and error. It checks JSON syntax plus the session fields currently covered by pkg/validate, including annotations, events, and attachments.

Archive validation

go-minitrace validate --path ./output --archive --output json

Archive mode locates the archive root even when --path points to a period directory or session file. It emits stable machine-readable findings with code, severity, path, session_id, and detail.

Checks include:

• archive filename versus payload ID;
• archive period versus timing.started_at;
• root and period manifest syntax and consistency;
• orphan archives and orphan manifest entries;
• recorded manifest file sizes;
• source SHA-256 when the recorded source path still exists;
• conversion receipt timestamps and completion state.

Select checks by repeating --check:

go-minitrace validate --path ./output --archive \
  --check archive --check manifest

Valid check names are archive, manifest, source, and receipt. With no --check, all checks run.

Error findings make the command return non-zero by default. Use --fail-on-error=false only when collecting diagnostics without gating a workflow.

Rebuild manifests

Root and period manifests are written atomically. Rebuild them from archive files before validation with:

go-minitrace validate --path ./output --archive --rebuild-manifests

This is the supported replacement for directory-shape-sensitive manifest audit scripts.

Flags

Recommended conversion gate

go-minitrace convert codex \
  --source-list ./sources.txt \
  --output-dir ./output \
  --run-record ./output/conversion-run.json

go-minitrace validate --path ./output --archive --output json

See also

• go-minitrace help convert-commands
• go-minitrace help minitrace-schema