The validate command checks service configurations, dependencies, and compatibility before generating a stack.
Usage
create-better-openclaw validate [options]
Options
Comma-separated service IDs to validate.
Validate a preset configuration.
Validate an existing docker-compose.yml file in the specified directory.
Output results as JSON for programmatic use.
Examples
Validate services
create-better-openclaw validate --services postgres,redis,qdrant
Configuration is valid!
Services: 3
Memory: ~1024MB
Validate with auto-resolved dependencies
create-better-openclaw validate --services qdrant,ollama
Configuration is valid!
Services: 4
Memory: ~2560MB
Auto-added dependencies:
+ postgres (required: qdrant)
+ redis (required: ollama)
Validate a preset
create-better-openclaw validate --preset researcher
Configuration is valid!
Services: 4
Memory: ~4096MB
Validate existing directory
create-better-openclaw validate --dir ./my-stack
Found docker-compose.yml at ./my-stack/docker-compose.yml
With warnings
create-better-openclaw validate --services ollama,vllm
Configuration is valid!
Services: 5
Memory: ~8192MB
Auto-added dependencies:
+ postgres (required: ollama)
+ redis (required: ollama)
Warnings:
! High memory usage detected (~8GB). Ensure host has sufficient resources.
! Multiple LLM inference engines selected. Consider using only one.
With errors
create-better-openclaw validate --services invalid-service
Configuration has errors:
x Unknown service: "invalid-service"
JSON output
create-better-openclaw validate --services postgres,redis --json
{
"valid": true,
"serviceCount": 2,
"estimatedMemoryMB": 512,
"warnings": [],
"errors": [],
"addedDependencies": []
}
JSON output with errors
create-better-openclaw validate --services invalid --json
{
"valid": false,
"serviceCount": 0,
"estimatedMemoryMB": 0,
"warnings": [],
"errors": [
{
"message": "Unknown service: \"invalid\"",
"severity": "error"
}
],
"addedDependencies": []
}
Validation checks
The validator performs the following checks:
Service existence
Verifies all specified services exist in the service registry.
Dependency resolution
Automatically adds required dependencies and checks for circular dependencies.
Resource estimation
Calculates estimated memory usage for the stack.
Compatibility
Checks for service conflicts and incompatibilities.
Warnings
Detects potential issues like:
- High memory usage
- Multiple services of the same type
- Beta/alpha maturity services
- Missing recommended configurations
Exit codes
0 - Validation successful1 - Validation failed or errors detected
Use cases
Pre-flight check before generation
create-better-openclaw validate --services postgres,redis,qdrant && \
create-better-openclaw generate my-stack --services postgres,redis,qdrant
CI/CD validation
#!/bin/bash
if create-better-openclaw validate --dir ./stack --json | jq -e '.valid'; then
echo "Stack configuration is valid"
docker compose -f ./stack/docker-compose.yml up -d
else
echo "Stack configuration is invalid"
exit 1
fi
Check existing stack
create-better-openclaw validate --dir ./production-stack