feat: add Starter Code Integrity Validator to DevPath Sentinel

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -10,10 +10,13 @@
   (e.g. `js`, `reactjs`, `ts`, `node`, `py`) to their canonical lowercase names (#1116)
 - Added 5 new unit tests in `tests/test_basic.py` to verify synonym normalization end-to-end (#1116)
 - DevPath Sentinel developer tool for repository health and dataset integrity validation (#1295)
-- Dataset validator to detect duplicate project IDs, duplicate project titles, missing required fields, empty required fields, and missing starter code references
+- Dataset Validator to detect duplicate project IDs, duplicate project titles, missing required fields, empty required fields, and missing starter code references
+- Starter Code Integrity Validator to detect orphan starter code files, empty starter code files, hidden files, and unsupported file types
 
 ### Changed
 
+- DevPath Sentinel now executes all available validators through a unified CLI with consolidated validation reporting
+- Updated Sentinel documentation to include the Starter Code Integrity Validator and multi-validator workflow
 - Contributors are now expected to document user-facing changes in CHANGELOG.md
 - `parse_skills()` now normalizes skill abbreviations via `SKILL_SYNONYMS` before scoring,
   so inputs like "JS, ReactJS, Node" correctly match projects tagged "JavaScript, React, Node.js" (#1116)

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -255,14 +255,22 @@ pip install pytest
 pytest tests/ -v
 ```
 
-If you add a new feature, add at least one corresponding test in `tests/test_basic.py`.
+If you add a new feature, add corresponding unit tests covering the new functionality.
 
 ### Repository Validation
 
 Before opening a pull request, contributors are encouraged to run DevPath Sentinel.
 
 ```bash
 python -m tools.sentinel.cli
+```
+
+The Sentinel CLI executes all available validators, including:
+
+- Dataset Validator
+- Starter Code Integrity Validator
+
+Review any reported warnings or errors before submitting your pull request.
 
 ---
 
@@ -271,7 +279,7 @@ python -m tools.sentinel.cli
 ### Before opening a PR
 
 - All 27 tests pass locally
-- Run `python -m tools.sentinel.cli` to validate the    project dataset before opening a pull request
+- Run `python -m tools.sentinel.cli` to validate the project dataset and starter code repository before opening a pull request
 - You have tested the running app in your browser
 - Your branch is up to date with the upstream `main` branch
 - Your code follows the style rules above

README.md

@@ -189,21 +189,34 @@ All tests passed
 
 ---
 
-### Validate the Project Dataset
+### Validate Repository Integrity
 
-Run DevPath Sentinel to check the repository dataset for common integrity issues:
+Run DevPath Sentinel to validate both the project dataset and the repository's starter code.
 
 ```bash
 python -m tools.sentinel.cli
 ```
 
-The current validator checks for:
+DevPath Sentinel executes the following validators:
 
-- duplicate project IDs
-- duplicate project titles
-- missing required fields
-- empty required fields
-- missing starter code references
+#### Dataset Validator
+
+Checks for:
+
+- Duplicate project IDs
+- Duplicate project titles
+- Missing required fields
+- Empty required fields
+- Missing starter code references
+
+#### Starter Code Integrity Validator
+
+Checks for:
+
+- Orphan starter code files
+- Empty starter code files
+- Unsupported starter code file types
+- Hidden files inside the `starter_code/` directory
 
 ---