diff --git a/.changeset/patch-consolidate-validation-functions.md b/.changeset/patch-consolidate-validation-functions.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..006df38434
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/patch-consolidate-validation-functions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"gh-aw": patch
+---
+
+Consolidate generic validation functions into validation.go
diff --git a/.github/instructions/github-agentic-workflows.instructions.md b/.github/instructions/github-agentic-workflows.instructions.md
index 3d78fb5a2e..001e02741c 100644
--- a/.github/instructions/github-agentic-workflows.instructions.md
+++ b/.github/instructions/github-agentic-workflows.instructions.md
@@ -55,13 +55,6 @@ The YAML frontmatter supports these fields:
 - **`steps:`** - Custom workflow steps (object)
 - **`post-steps:`** - Custom workflow steps to run after AI execution (object)
 
-### Documentation Fields (Silently Ignored)
-
-- **`description:`** - Workflow description (string, for documentation only)
-- **`applyTo:`** - File pattern scope (string, for documentation only)
-
-These fields are ignored during compilation and do not affect workflow behavior. Use them to document workflow purpose and scope.
-
 ### Agentic Workflow Specific Fields
 
 - **`engine:`** - AI processor configuration
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/cache.go b/pkg/workflow/cache.go
index a76897d62e..a899c464ff 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/cache.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/cache.go
@@ -28,18 +28,6 @@ func generateDefaultCacheKey(cacheID string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("memory-%s-${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.run_id }}", cacheID)
 }
 
-// validateNoDuplicateCacheIDs checks for duplicate cache IDs and returns an error if found
-func validateNoDuplicateCacheIDs(caches []CacheMemoryEntry) error {
-	seen := make(map[string]bool)
-	for _, cache := range caches {
-		if seen[cache.ID] {
-			return fmt.Errorf("duplicate cache-memory ID '%s' found. Each cache must have a unique ID", cache.ID)
-		}
-		seen[cache.ID] = true
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
 // extractCacheMemoryConfig extracts cache-memory configuration from tools section
 func (c *Compiler) extractCacheMemoryConfig(tools map[string]any) (*CacheMemoryConfig, error) {
 	cacheMemoryValue, exists := tools["cache-memory"]
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/compiler.go b/pkg/workflow/compiler.go
index d49cea1223..0fcf30a9a3 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/compiler.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/compiler.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/pkg/parser"
 	"github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/pkg/workflow/pretty"
 	"github.com/goccy/go-yaml"
-	"github.com/santhosh-tekuri/jsonschema/v6"
 )
 
 var log = logger.New("workflow:compiler")
@@ -421,52 +420,6 @@ func (c *Compiler) CompileWorkflow(markdownPath string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// validateGitHubActionsSchema validates the generated YAML content against the GitHub Actions workflow schema
-func (c *Compiler) validateGitHubActionsSchema(yamlContent string) error {
-	// Convert YAML to any for JSON conversion
-	var workflowData any
-	if err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(yamlContent), &workflowData); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse YAML for schema validation: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Convert to JSON for schema validation
-	jsonData, err := json.Marshal(workflowData)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to convert YAML to JSON for validation: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Parse the embedded schema
-	var schemaDoc any
-	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(githubWorkflowSchema), &schemaDoc); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse embedded GitHub Actions schema: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Create compiler and add the schema as a resource
-	loader := jsonschema.NewCompiler()
-	schemaURL := "https://json.schemastore.org/github-workflow.json"
-	if err := loader.AddResource(schemaURL, schemaDoc); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to add schema resource: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Compile the schema
-	schema, err := loader.Compile(schemaURL)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to compile GitHub Actions schema: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Validate the JSON data against the schema
-	var jsonObj any
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(jsonData, &jsonObj); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal JSON for validation: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	if err := schema.Validate(jsonObj); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("GitHub Actions schema validation failed: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
 // ParseWorkflowFile parses a markdown workflow file and extracts all necessary data
 func (c *Compiler) ParseWorkflowFile(markdownPath string) (*WorkflowData, error) {
 	log.Printf("Reading file: %s", markdownPath)
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/redact_secrets.go b/pkg/workflow/redact_secrets.go
index f0ff322211..4754b27ad7 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/redact_secrets.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/redact_secrets.go
@@ -92,17 +92,3 @@ func (c *Compiler) generateSecretRedactionStep(yaml *strings.Builder, yamlConten
 		yaml.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("          SECRET_%s: ${{ secrets.%s }}\n", escapedSecretName, secretName))
 	}
 }
-
-// validateSecretReferences validates that secret references are valid
-func validateSecretReferences(secrets []string) error {
-	// Secret names must be valid environment variable names
-	secretNamePattern := regexp.MustCompile(`^[A-Z][A-Z0-9_]*$`)
-
-	for _, secret := range secrets {
-		if !secretNamePattern.MatchString(secret) {
-			return fmt.Errorf("invalid secret name: %s", secret)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/validation.go b/pkg/workflow/validation.go
index 69c8498377..ab822dec01 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/validation.go
@@ -1,14 +1,18 @@
 package workflow
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/pkg/console"
 	"github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/pkg/logger"
 	"github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/pkg/workflow/pretty"
+	"github.com/goccy/go-yaml"
+	"github.com/santhosh-tekuri/jsonschema/v6"
 )
 
 var validationLog = logger.New("workflow:validation")
@@ -194,3 +198,75 @@ func collectPackagesFromWorkflow(
 
 	return packages
 }
+
+// validateGitHubActionsSchema validates the generated YAML content against the GitHub Actions workflow schema
+func (c *Compiler) validateGitHubActionsSchema(yamlContent string) error {
+	// Convert YAML to any for JSON conversion
+	var workflowData any
+	if err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(yamlContent), &workflowData); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse YAML for schema validation: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Convert to JSON for schema validation
+	jsonData, err := json.Marshal(workflowData)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to convert YAML to JSON for validation: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Parse the embedded schema
+	var schemaDoc any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(githubWorkflowSchema), &schemaDoc); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse embedded GitHub Actions schema: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Create compiler and add the schema as a resource
+	loader := jsonschema.NewCompiler()
+	schemaURL := "https://json.schemastore.org/github-workflow.json"
+	if err := loader.AddResource(schemaURL, schemaDoc); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to add schema resource: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Compile the schema
+	schema, err := loader.Compile(schemaURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to compile GitHub Actions schema: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Validate the JSON data against the schema
+	var jsonObj any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(jsonData, &jsonObj); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal JSON for validation: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := schema.Validate(jsonObj); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("GitHub Actions schema validation failed: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// validateNoDuplicateCacheIDs checks for duplicate cache IDs and returns an error if found
+func validateNoDuplicateCacheIDs(caches []CacheMemoryEntry) error {
+	seen := make(map[string]bool)
+	for _, cache := range caches {
+		if seen[cache.ID] {
+			return fmt.Errorf("duplicate cache-memory ID '%s' found. Each cache must have a unique ID", cache.ID)
+		}
+		seen[cache.ID] = true
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// validateSecretReferences validates that secret references are valid
+func validateSecretReferences(secrets []string) error {
+	// Secret names must be valid environment variable names
+	secretNamePattern := regexp.MustCompile(`^[A-Z][A-Z0-9_]*$`)
+
+	for _, secret := range secrets {
+		if !secretNamePattern.MatchString(secret) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid secret name: %s", secret)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}