Implement PR Validation Framework (C1 Workflow)

[hdamker]

Problem description

With release-plan.yaml deployed across all repositories (cf. #342), we need CI gates to enforce release management rules on PRs to main. Currently, validation is manual and inconsistent across repositories.

Part of #191 (Develop automation support in support of release management). See PR #338 for the full implementation plan.

Proposed solution

Implement the C1 validation workflow (Step 1 of the release workflow) for PRs on main:

1. Core CI Gates (validates all PRs to main)

   • Formatting and schema correctness
   • Version consistency: info.version: "wip" pattern on main
   • Server URL pattern enforcement per CAMARA rules
   • APIs with target_api_status: alpha+ must exist and pass validation

2. Mutual Exclusivity Enforcement

   • Metadata-only PRs: May only modify release-plan.yaml
   • Implementation PRs: May modify all files except metadata
   • Mixed PRs: Blocked and must be split
   • CI validates metadata changes against target status

3. Status-aware Validation

   • Validate adherence to CAMARA guidelines based on target_release_type and target_api_status
   • Raise non-blocking warnings for issues preventing promotion to next stage
   • Block modifications to APIs targeting already-released public versions

4. PR Validation Workflow (.github/workflows/pr-validation-main.yml)

   • Parallel validation jobs with summary aggregation
   • Results posted as PR comments
   • Performance target: < 3 minutes

Dependencies

• Requires Mass Rollout of release-plan.yaml to replace Wiki Trackers within January #342 complete (repositories have release-plan.yaml)

Success criteria

• CI workflow runs successfully on test repository
• Mutual exclusivity rules enforced
• Performance target met (< 3 minutes)

Milestone

Target completion: End of January 2026 (Spring26 M3)

[hdamker]

Superseded by #448, which covers the full validation framework v1 scope (PR-time, pre-snapshot, and release review contexts, bundling pipeline, rollout model, and release automation integration). The PR validation requirements originally described here are included in the requirements and detailed design documents in #447.