Expected Directories Exist

Configuration files referenced by instruction files must exist on disk. The check verifies that at least one config-type file is present, serving as a gate for directory structure validation.

Antipatterns

• Declaring directories in instructions that do not exist like referencing .claude/rules/ when the directory has not been created — the file existence gate fails if no config files are found.
• Assuming directory creation is automatic like adding a config.yml reference without creating the directory tree first — the check requires files to be present on disk.
• Referencing config paths only in prose without actually having the config files — the mechanical check tests file existence, not prose content.

Pass / Fail

Pass

project/
  .claude/settings.json     (exists on disk)
  .ails/backbone.yml         (exists on disk)

Fail

project/
  (no config files present on disk)
  CLAUDE.md references .claude/rules/ but directory is empty

Limitations

Checks that expected directories exist on disk. Does not evaluate directory contents or verify all expected directories are declared.