diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index d41d84f..c4566ed 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ members = [
     "crates/lance-bench",
     "crates/vectord-lance",
     "crates/truth",
+    "crates/validator",
 ]
 
 [workspace.dependencies]
diff --git a/crates/validator/Cargo.toml b/crates/validator/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b7f585
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/validator/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+[package]
+name = "validator"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2024"
+
+[dependencies]
+serde = { workspace = true }
+serde_json = { workspace = true }
+thiserror = { workspace = true }
+tokio = { workspace = true }
+tracing = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/crates/validator/src/devops.rs b/crates/validator/src/devops.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..796b448
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/validator/src/devops.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+//! DevOps validator scaffold — long-horizon.
+//!
+//! PRD: "scaffold only: stubbed Terraform/Ansible validators
+//! (`terraform validate`, `ansible-lint`) for the long-horizon phase."
+//! Shipped as Unimplemented stubs so the execution-loop dispatcher
+//! has a consistent failure shape to surface ("phase 43 not wired")
+//! instead of a missing-impl panic.
+
+use crate::{Artifact, Report, Validator, ValidationError};
+
+pub struct TerraformValidator;
+
+impl Validator for TerraformValidator {
+    fn name(&self) -> &'static str { "devops.terraform" }
+    fn validate(&self, _artifact: &Artifact) -> Result<Report, ValidationError> {
+        Err(ValidationError::Unimplemented { artifact: "terraform_plan" })
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct AnsibleValidator;
+
+impl Validator for AnsibleValidator {
+    fn name(&self) -> &'static str { "devops.ansible" }
+    fn validate(&self, _artifact: &Artifact) -> Result<Report, ValidationError> {
+        Err(ValidationError::Unimplemented { artifact: "ansible_playbook" })
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn terraform_scaffold_returns_unimplemented() {
+        let r = TerraformValidator.validate(&Artifact::TerraformPlan(serde_json::json!({})));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Unimplemented { .. })));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn ansible_scaffold_returns_unimplemented() {
+        let r = AnsibleValidator.validate(&Artifact::AnsiblePlaybook(serde_json::json!({})));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Unimplemented { .. })));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/validator/src/lib.rs b/crates/validator/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4be1559
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/validator/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+//! Phase 43 Validation Pipeline.
+//!
+//! PRD: "Staffing outputs run through schema / completeness /
+//! consistency / policy gates. Plug into Layer 5 execution loop —
+//! failure triggers observer-correction iteration."
+//!
+//! This crate provides the `Validator` trait + `Artifact` enum +
+//! Report/ValidationError types. Staffing validators (fill, email,
+//! playbook) and the DevOps scaffold live in submodules.
+//!
+//! Landed 2026-04-24 as a scaffold — the trait + types + module
+//! layout match the PRD; individual validator implementations are
+//! `Unimplemented` stubs that return a clear "phase 43 not wired"
+//! error rather than silently passing. The execution-loop integration
+//! (generate → validate → correct → retry) comes in a follow-up
+//! commit once the stubs are filled.
+
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use thiserror::Error;
+
+pub mod staffing;
+pub mod devops;
+
+/// What a validator saw. One variant per artifact class we validate.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[serde(tag = "kind")]
+pub enum Artifact {
+    /// A fill proposal from the staffing executor — shape is
+    /// `{fills: [{candidate_id, name}]}` per PRD.
+    FillProposal(serde_json::Value),
+    /// An email/SMS draft for outreach.
+    EmailDraft(serde_json::Value),
+    /// A playbook being sealed for memory.
+    Playbook(serde_json::Value),
+    /// Terraform plan output (scaffold, long-horizon).
+    TerraformPlan(serde_json::Value),
+    /// Ansible playbook (scaffold, long-horizon).
+    AnsiblePlaybook(serde_json::Value),
+}
+
+/// Success report. Empty `findings` means a clean pass. Populated
+/// findings with `Severity::Warning` means "acceptable but notable" —
+/// the artifact passes. `Severity::Error` means validation failed;
+/// the validator should return `Err(...)` in that case, not `Ok`.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct Report {
+    pub findings: Vec<Finding>,
+    pub elapsed_ms: u64,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct Finding {
+    pub field: String,
+    pub severity: Severity,
+    pub message: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
+#[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
+pub enum Severity {
+    Warning,
+    Error,
+}
+
+/// Validation failure — what went wrong + where + why. Returned as
+/// `Err` from `validate`. Execution loop catches these and feeds them
+/// to the observer-correction retry loop.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Error, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub enum ValidationError {
+    /// Artifact schema doesn't match what we expected.
+    #[error("schema mismatch at {field}: {reason}")]
+    Schema { field: String, reason: String },
+    /// Required data missing (e.g. endorsed count != target count).
+    #[error("completeness: {reason}")]
+    Completeness { reason: String },
+    /// Data that's inconsistent with another source of truth
+    /// (e.g. worker_id doesn't exist in the workers table).
+    #[error("consistency: {reason}")]
+    Consistency { reason: String },
+    /// Policy violation — truth rule or access control said no.
+    #[error("policy: {reason}")]
+    Policy { reason: String },
+    /// Validator hasn't been implemented yet — scaffold stub.
+    #[error("validator not yet implemented for {artifact} — phase 43 scaffold")]
+    Unimplemented { artifact: &'static str },
+}
+
+/// Core validation contract. Implementations live in `staffing::*` and
+/// `devops::*`. The execution loop dispatches to the right impl based
+/// on the Artifact variant.
+pub trait Validator: Send + Sync {
+    fn validate(&self, artifact: &Artifact) -> Result<Report, ValidationError>;
+    /// Human-readable name for logs + Langfuse traces.
+    fn name(&self) -> &'static str;
+}
diff --git a/crates/validator/src/staffing/email.rs b/crates/validator/src/staffing/email.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..264d491
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/validator/src/staffing/email.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+//! Email/SMS draft validator.
+//!
+//! PRD checks:
+//!   - Schema (TO/BODY fields present)
+//!   - Length (SMS ≤ 160 chars; email subject ≤ 78 chars)
+//!   - PII absence (no SSN / salary leaked into outgoing text)
+//!   - Worker-name consistency (name in message matches worker record)
+//!
+//! Scaffold implements schema + length. PII regex (SSN pattern,
+//! salary-number pattern) lives in `shared::pii::strip_pii` — plug in
+//! a follow-up when the validator caller knows the worker record to
+//! cross-check name consistency.
+
+use crate::{Artifact, Report, Validator, ValidationError};
+use std::time::Instant;
+
+pub struct EmailValidator;
+
+const SMS_MAX_CHARS: usize = 160;
+const EMAIL_SUBJECT_MAX_CHARS: usize = 78;
+
+impl Validator for EmailValidator {
+    fn name(&self) -> &'static str { "staffing.email" }
+
+    fn validate(&self, artifact: &Artifact) -> Result<Report, ValidationError> {
+        let started = Instant::now();
+        let value = match artifact {
+            Artifact::EmailDraft(v) => v,
+            other => return Err(ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "artifact".into(),
+                reason: format!("EmailValidator expects EmailDraft, got {other:?}"),
+            }),
+        };
+
+        let to = value.get("to").and_then(|v| v.as_str()).ok_or(
+            ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "to".into(),
+                reason: "missing or not a string".into(),
+            },
+        )?;
+        let body = value.get("body").and_then(|v| v.as_str()).ok_or(
+            ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "body".into(),
+                reason: "missing or not a string".into(),
+            },
+        )?;
+
+        let is_sms = value.get("kind").and_then(|k| k.as_str()) == Some("sms");
+        if is_sms && body.len() > SMS_MAX_CHARS {
+            return Err(ValidationError::Completeness {
+                reason: format!("SMS body is {} chars, max {SMS_MAX_CHARS}", body.len()),
+            });
+        }
+
+        if let Some(subject) = value.get("subject").and_then(|v| v.as_str()) {
+            if subject.len() > EMAIL_SUBJECT_MAX_CHARS {
+                return Err(ValidationError::Completeness {
+                    reason: format!(
+                        "email subject is {} chars, max {EMAIL_SUBJECT_MAX_CHARS}",
+                        subject.len()
+                    ),
+                });
+            }
+        }
+
+        let _ = to; // touched for future name-consistency check
+        // TODO(phase-43 v2): PII scan + worker-name consistency.
+
+        Ok(Report {
+            findings: vec![],
+            elapsed_ms: started.elapsed().as_millis() as u64,
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn long_sms_fails_completeness() {
+        let body = "x".repeat(200);
+        let r = EmailValidator.validate(&Artifact::EmailDraft(serde_json::json!({
+            "to": "+15555550123",
+            "body": body,
+            "kind": "sms"
+        })));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Completeness { .. })));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn long_email_subject_fails_completeness() {
+        let r = EmailValidator.validate(&Artifact::EmailDraft(serde_json::json!({
+            "to": "a@b.com",
+            "body": "hi",
+            "subject": "x".repeat(100)
+        })));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Completeness { .. })));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_to_fails_schema() {
+        let r = EmailValidator.validate(&Artifact::EmailDraft(serde_json::json!({"body": "hi"})));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Schema { field, .. }) if field == "to"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn well_formed_email_passes() {
+        let r = EmailValidator.validate(&Artifact::EmailDraft(serde_json::json!({
+            "to": "hiring@example.com",
+            "subject": "Interview: Friday 10am",
+            "body": "Hi Jane — confirming interview Friday 10am."
+        })));
+        assert!(r.is_ok(), "well-formed email should pass: {:?}", r);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/validator/src/staffing/fill.rs b/crates/validator/src/staffing/fill.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bbe4bf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/validator/src/staffing/fill.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+//! Fill-proposal validator.
+//!
+//! PRD checks:
+//!   - Schema compliance (propose_done shape matches
+//!     `{fills: [{candidate_id, name}]}`)
+//!   - Completeness (endorsed count == target_count)
+//!   - Worker existence (every candidate_id present in workers_500k)
+//!   - Status check (active, not_on_client_blacklist)
+//!   - Geo/role match (worker city/state/role matches contract)
+//!
+//! Today this is a scaffold — schema check is real (it's cheap); the
+//! worker-existence / status / geo checks need a catalog lookup and
+//! land in a follow-up when the catalog query helper is wired into
+//! this crate.
+
+use crate::{Artifact, Report, Validator, ValidationError};
+use std::time::Instant;
+
+pub struct FillValidator;
+
+impl Validator for FillValidator {
+    fn name(&self) -> &'static str { "staffing.fill" }
+
+    fn validate(&self, artifact: &Artifact) -> Result<Report, ValidationError> {
+        let started = Instant::now();
+        let value = match artifact {
+            Artifact::FillProposal(v) => v,
+            other => return Err(ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "artifact".into(),
+                reason: format!("FillValidator expects FillProposal, got {other:?}"),
+            }),
+        };
+
+        // Schema check — the only real validation shipped in this
+        // scaffold. Catches the common "model emitted prose instead of
+        // JSON" failure mode before the consistency checks even run.
+        let fills = value.get("fills").and_then(|f| f.as_array()).ok_or(
+            ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "fills".into(),
+                reason: "expected top-level `fills` array".into(),
+            },
+        )?;
+        for (i, fill) in fills.iter().enumerate() {
+            if fill.get("candidate_id").is_none() {
+                return Err(ValidationError::Schema {
+                    field: format!("fills[{i}].candidate_id"),
+                    reason: "missing".into(),
+                });
+            }
+            if fill.get("name").is_none() {
+                return Err(ValidationError::Schema {
+                    field: format!("fills[{i}].name"),
+                    reason: "missing".into(),
+                });
+            }
+        }
+
+        // TODO(phase-43 v2): worker-existence / status / geo checks.
+        // Need a catalog query handle injected into FillValidator's
+        // constructor — out of scope for the scaffold.
+
+        Ok(Report {
+            findings: vec![],
+            elapsed_ms: started.elapsed().as_millis() as u64,
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn wrong_artifact_type_fails_schema() {
+        let r = FillValidator.validate(&Artifact::EmailDraft(serde_json::json!({})));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Schema { .. })));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_fills_array_fails_schema() {
+        let r = FillValidator.validate(&Artifact::FillProposal(serde_json::json!({})));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Schema { field, .. }) if field == "fills"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn fill_without_candidate_id_fails() {
+        let r = FillValidator.validate(&Artifact::FillProposal(serde_json::json!({
+            "fills": [{"name": "Jane"}]
+        })));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Schema { field, .. }) if field.contains("candidate_id")));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn well_formed_proposal_passes_schema() {
+        let r = FillValidator.validate(&Artifact::FillProposal(serde_json::json!({
+            "fills": [
+                {"candidate_id": "W-123", "name": "Jane Doe"},
+                {"candidate_id": "W-456", "name": "John Smith"}
+            ]
+        })));
+        assert!(r.is_ok(), "well-formed proposal should pass schema: {:?}", r);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/validator/src/staffing/mod.rs b/crates/validator/src/staffing/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c959cd2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/validator/src/staffing/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//! Staffing validators — fill proposals, email/SMS drafts, sealed
+//! playbooks. Phase 43 PRD: "the 0→85% pattern reproduces on real
+//! staffing tasks — the iteration loop with validation in place is
+//! what made small models successful."
+
+pub mod fill;
+pub mod email;
+pub mod playbook;
diff --git a/crates/validator/src/staffing/playbook.rs b/crates/validator/src/staffing/playbook.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f8bb5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/validator/src/staffing/playbook.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+//! Sealed playbook validator.
+//!
+//! PRD checks:
+//!   - Operation format (`fill: Role xN in City, ST`)
+//!   - endorsed_names non-empty, ≤ target_count × 2
+//!   - fingerprint populated (Phase 25 validity window requirement)
+
+use crate::{Artifact, Report, Validator, ValidationError};
+use std::time::Instant;
+
+pub struct PlaybookValidator;
+
+impl Validator for PlaybookValidator {
+    fn name(&self) -> &'static str { "staffing.playbook" }
+
+    fn validate(&self, artifact: &Artifact) -> Result<Report, ValidationError> {
+        let started = Instant::now();
+        let value = match artifact {
+            Artifact::Playbook(v) => v,
+            other => return Err(ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "artifact".into(),
+                reason: format!("PlaybookValidator expects Playbook, got {other:?}"),
+            }),
+        };
+
+        // Operation format: "fill: Role xN in City, ST" — at minimum
+        // we check the string-shape. Fuller grammar parse lives in
+        // phase 25 code where operations are structured beyond strings.
+        let op = value.get("operation").and_then(|v| v.as_str()).ok_or(
+            ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "operation".into(),
+                reason: "missing or not a string".into(),
+            },
+        )?;
+        if !op.starts_with("fill:") {
+            return Err(ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "operation".into(),
+                reason: format!("expected `fill: ...` prefix, got {op:?}"),
+            });
+        }
+
+        let endorsed = value.get("endorsed_names").and_then(|v| v.as_array()).ok_or(
+            ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "endorsed_names".into(),
+                reason: "missing or not an array".into(),
+            },
+        )?;
+        if endorsed.is_empty() {
+            return Err(ValidationError::Completeness {
+                reason: "endorsed_names must be non-empty".into(),
+            });
+        }
+
+        if let Some(target) = value.get("target_count").and_then(|v| v.as_u64()) {
+            let max = (target * 2) as usize;
+            if endorsed.len() > max {
+                return Err(ValidationError::Completeness {
+                    reason: format!(
+                        "endorsed_names ({}) exceeds target_count × 2 ({max})",
+                        endorsed.len()
+                    ),
+                });
+            }
+        }
+
+        if value.get("fingerprint").and_then(|v| v.as_str()).map_or(true, |s| s.is_empty()) {
+            return Err(ValidationError::Schema {
+                field: "fingerprint".into(),
+                reason: "missing — required for Phase 25 validity window".into(),
+            });
+        }
+
+        Ok(Report {
+            findings: vec![],
+            elapsed_ms: started.elapsed().as_millis() as u64,
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn well_formed_playbook_passes() {
+        let r = PlaybookValidator.validate(&Artifact::Playbook(serde_json::json!({
+            "operation": "fill: Welder x2 in Toledo, OH",
+            "endorsed_names": ["W-123", "W-456"],
+            "target_count": 2,
+            "fingerprint": "abc123"
+        })));
+        assert!(r.is_ok(), "got {:?}", r);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn empty_endorsed_names_fails_completeness() {
+        let r = PlaybookValidator.validate(&Artifact::Playbook(serde_json::json!({
+            "operation": "fill: Welder x2 in Toledo, OH",
+            "endorsed_names": [],
+            "fingerprint": "abc"
+        })));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Completeness { .. })));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn overfull_endorsed_names_fails_completeness() {
+        let r = PlaybookValidator.validate(&Artifact::Playbook(serde_json::json!({
+            "operation": "fill: Welder x1 in Toledo, OH",
+            "endorsed_names": ["a", "b", "c"],
+            "target_count": 1,
+            "fingerprint": "abc"
+        })));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Completeness { .. })));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_fingerprint_fails_schema() {
+        let r = PlaybookValidator.validate(&Artifact::Playbook(serde_json::json!({
+            "operation": "fill: X x1 in A, B",
+            "endorsed_names": ["a"]
+        })));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Schema { field, .. }) if field == "fingerprint"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn wrong_operation_prefix_fails_schema() {
+        let r = PlaybookValidator.validate(&Artifact::Playbook(serde_json::json!({
+            "operation": "sms_draft: hello",
+            "endorsed_names": ["a"],
+            "fingerprint": "x"
+        })));
+        assert!(matches!(r, Err(ValidationError::Schema { .. })));
+    }
+}