alexa-skills-kit-skill-validator

Introduction

The Skill Validator is a skill validation tool that checks for errors and warnings in an Alexa custom skill’s language model and skill metadata. It can be used from the developer dashboard (https://developer.amazon.com). While it can’t check for everything that will cause a skill to fail certification or all factors that create a poor customer experience, it checks for the low-hanging fruit.

The goal for this project is to add more transparency to the developer process and add another self-service tool to a developer's toolbelt while they create custom Alexa skills. A skill is not required to pass all these tests to be submitted for certification.

Most of the tests come from the Ask Submission Checklist.

Installation

GreaseMonkey/TamperMonkey (Easiest)

Copy and paste this code into a new GreaseMonkey user script: https://github.com/alexa/alexa-skills-kit-skill-validator/blob/mainline/output/greasemonkey.js

Browser Extensions

Chrome (this will be disabled every time you restart Chrome)

• Download the extension: https://github.com/alexa/alexa-skills-kit-skill-validator/blob/mainline/output/chrome_ask_validator.crx
• Navigate to chrome://extensions/
• Drag and drop the .crx file into the tab
• Accept the permissions

Firefox

• Download the extension: https://github.com/alexa/alexa-skills-kit-skill-validator/blob/mainline/output/firefox_ask_validator.xpi
• Navigate to about:config
• Search for xpinstall.signatures.required and set to “false”
• Navigate to Menu > Add-ons
• Drag and drop the .xpi file into the tab
• Accept the permissions

Usage

• In the developer portal, when editing a skill, a button appears bottom right with the text “Validate Skill.”
• As the tests, run a modal will pop up with progress status.
• Check the detailed results against your language model and metadata.
• Errors may cause a skill to fail certification; fixed warnings will generally improve the customer experience.

Known Issues

• False positives are possible across tests, verify against documentation where available--open an issue with examples.
• Limited support for non-English skills (can you help write these REGEX?).
• No checking for built-in slot and custom slot utterance collision—or for where slots collide with utterance plain text.
• This is not a complete battery of tests.

Additions/Fixes/Bug Reports/Questions

• If you know how to fix an issue that you run into and/or would like to add an SLU/other test, submit a pull request for the code base.
• Otherwise open an issue