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We’ve been experimenting internally with a new way of working that combines Firely Terminal with AI-driven workflows — and the results are promising.

Our colleague Ardon Toonstra (FHIR consultant at Firely) built a /fhir-validation skill for Claude Code and tested it on real-world Implementation Guide projects. The goal: simplify and improve the validation process that many of you run daily.

What does the validation skill do?

The skill automates a number of steps that are typically done manually:

  • Detects your environment and selects the appropriate validators
  • Runs FHIR restore,  FHIR check  and the HL7 Java Validator in the correct order
  • Traces validation errors back to the original source files (for example FSH instead of generated output)
  • Suggests fixes — not just error messages

In practice, this turns validation into a more guided and repeatable workflow.

Why this matters

Validation is a critical part of every FHIR project, but it often involves multiple tools, steps and interpretations of output.

What we see here is a shift towards:

  • more consistent validation workflows
  • faster feedback loops
  • better traceability from error to source

This is especially relevant for teams working with larger IGs or more complex dependencies.

Read more

Ardon shares his approach, what worked well and where things still need improvement in his blog:  https://fire.ly/blog/firely-terminal-the-natural-cli-for-ai-fhir-workflows/

He also outlines ideas for next steps — particularly around making these workflows more robust and easier to reuse.

Looking ahead

This is an early step, but an interesting one. Combining a structured CLI like Firely Terminal with AI opens up new possibilities for how we design and automate FHIR workflows — especially around validation and quality control.

Share your feedback

We’re curious to hear how you approach validation today and where you see opportunities for improvement. If you have any ideas do not hesitate to reach out to the Simplifier team. We’d love to hear your feedback. Together we are building a powerful ecosystem for FHIR innovation.

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