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BIDS Validator

Purpose

The BIDS validator checks that dataset repositories conform to the BIDS specification. It runs automatically on every merge request and every push to a dataset repository, ensuring that only valid data reaches the main branch.

The validator is deployed as a GitLab CI component. All dataset repositories include it in their .gitlab-ci.yml:

- component: $CI_SERVER_FQDN/ci-components/format-components/bids-validator@main

Update workflow

Data stewards are subscribed to notifications on the bids-validator GitHub repository. When a new release is available:

  1. Update the validator component (version numbers in requirements.txt, templates/bids-validator.yml, and .gitlab-ci.yml) and merge
  2. Run the new validator version against all datasets — the updated component is picked up automatically on the next pipeline run
  3. Review any new validation errors or warnings that appear across datasets
  4. Work with data owners to resolve issues, or document known exceptions in the dataset README where resolution is not possible