diff --git a/cli-processor/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/processor/CLIProcessor.java b/cli-processor/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/processor/CLIProcessor.java
index 17c015a00..a18b2abc5 100644
--- a/cli-processor/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/processor/CLIProcessor.java
+++ b/cli-processor/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/processor/CLIProcessor.java
@@ -214,8 +214,7 @@ public static void handleQuiet() {
   }
 
   protected void showVersion() {
-    @SuppressWarnings("resource")
-    PrintStream out = AnsiConsole.out(); // NOPMD - not owner
+    @SuppressWarnings("resource") PrintStream out = AnsiConsole.out(); // NOPMD - not owner
     getVersionInfos().values().stream().forEach(info -> {
       out.println(ansi()
           .bold().a(info.getName()).boldOff()
@@ -253,8 +252,7 @@ public class CallingContext {
 
     @SuppressFBWarnings(value = "CT_CONSTRUCTOR_THROW", justification = "Use of final fields")
     public CallingContext(@NonNull List<String> args) {
-      @SuppressWarnings("PMD.LooseCoupling")
-      LinkedList<ICommand> calledCommands = new LinkedList<>();
+      @SuppressWarnings("PMD.LooseCoupling") LinkedList<ICommand> calledCommands = new LinkedList<>();
       List<Option> options = new LinkedList<>(OPTIONS);
       List<String> extraArgs = new LinkedList<>();
 
@@ -632,8 +630,7 @@ public void showHelp() {
       AnsiPrintStream out = AnsiConsole.out();
       int terminalWidth = Math.max(out.getTerminalWidth(), 40);
 
-      @SuppressWarnings("resource")
-      PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter( // NOPMD not owned
+      @SuppressWarnings("resource") PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter( // NOPMD not owned
           out,
           true,
           StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
diff --git a/databind-metaschema/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/modules/sarif/SarifValidationHandler.java b/databind-metaschema/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/modules/sarif/SarifValidationHandler.java
index 3211cf8e7..8ac26b5b6 100644
--- a/databind-metaschema/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/modules/sarif/SarifValidationHandler.java
+++ b/databind-metaschema/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/modules/sarif/SarifValidationHandler.java
@@ -207,7 +207,9 @@ private void addConstraintValidationFinding(@NonNull ConstraintValidationFinding
     results.add(new ConstraintResult(finding));
   }
 
-  public void write(@NonNull Path outputFile) throws IOException {
+  public void write(
+      @NonNull Path outputFile,
+      @NonNull IBindingContext bindingContext) throws IOException {
 
     URI output = ObjectUtils.notNull(outputFile.toUri());
 
@@ -246,7 +248,6 @@ public void write(@NonNull Path outputFile) throws IOException {
       run.setTool(tool);
     }
 
-    IBindingContext bindingContext = IBindingContext.newInstance();
     bindingContext.registerModule(SarifModule.class);
     bindingContext.newSerializer(Format.JSON, Sarif.class)
         .disableFeature(SerializationFeature.SERIALIZE_ROOT)
diff --git a/databind-metaschema/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/modules/sarif/SarifValidationHandlerTest.java b/databind-metaschema/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/modules/sarif/SarifValidationHandlerTest.java
index 9dce9a8d1..76b3488ac 100644
--- a/databind-metaschema/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/modules/sarif/SarifValidationHandlerTest.java
+++ b/databind-metaschema/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/modules/sarif/SarifValidationHandlerTest.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.model.validation.IValidationFinding;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.IVersionInfo;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.ObjectUtils;
+import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.databind.IBindingContext;
 
 import org.jmock.Expectations;
 import org.jmock.junit5.JUnit5Mockery;
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ void testValid() throws IOException {
 
     // no need to cleanup this file, since it is created in the target directory
     Path sarifFile = ObjectUtils.requireNonNull(Paths.get("target/test.sarif"));
-    handler.write(sarifFile);
+    handler.write(sarifFile, IBindingContext.newInstance());
 
     Path sarifSchema = Paths.get("modules/sarif/sarif-schema-2.1.0.json");
 
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/pom.xml b/metaschema-cli/pom.xml
index 2c7a9286c..18e82ecc5 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/pom.xml
+++ b/metaschema-cli/pom.xml
@@ -66,8 +66,7 @@
 
 		<dependency>
 		    <groupId>io.github.hakky54</groupId>
-		    <artifactId>consolecaptor</artifactId>
-		    <version>1.0.3</version>
+		    <artifactId>logcaptor</artifactId>
 		    <scope>test</scope>
 		</dependency>
 		<dependency>
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/CLI.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/CLI.java
index 19b96471e..542b654d5 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/CLI.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/CLI.java
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@
 
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 
+/**
+ * The main entry point for the CLI application.
+ */
 @SuppressWarnings("PMD.ShortClassName")
 public final class CLI {
   /**
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/AbstractConvertSubcommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/AbstractConvertSubcommand.java
index e2ae2c789..5921f4d74 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/AbstractConvertSubcommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/AbstractConvertSubcommand.java
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.CommandExecutionException;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.DefaultExtraArgument;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.ExtraArgument;
-import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.model.MetaschemaException;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.AutoCloser;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.ObjectUtils;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.databind.IBindingContext;
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 
 /**
- * Used by implementing classes to declare a content conversion command.
+ * Used by implementing classes to provide a content conversion command.
  */
 public abstract class AbstractConvertSubcommand
     extends AbstractTerminalCommand {
@@ -94,11 +93,8 @@ protected AbstractConversionCommandExecutor(
      * Get the binding context to use for data processing.
      *
      * @return the context
-     * @throws MetaschemaException
-     *           if a Metaschema error occurred
-     * @throws IOException
-     *           if an error occurred while reading data
      * @throws CommandExecutionException
+     *           if an error occurred getting the binding context
      */
     @NonNull
     protected abstract IBindingContext getBindingContext() throws CommandExecutionException;
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/AbstractValidateContentCommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/AbstractValidateContentCommand.java
index 782891066..f854b42d6 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/AbstractValidateContentCommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/AbstractValidateContentCommand.java
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.configuration.IMutableConfiguration;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.metapath.MetapathException;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.model.IModule;
-import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.model.MetaschemaException;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.model.constraint.IConstraintSet;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.model.constraint.ValidationFeature;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.model.validation.AggregateValidationResult;
@@ -47,7 +46,11 @@
 import java.util.Set;
 
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
+import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.Nullable;
 
+/**
+ * Used by implementing classes to provide a content validation command.
+ */
 public abstract class AbstractValidateContentCommand
     extends AbstractTerminalCommand {
   private static final Logger LOGGER = LogManager.getLogger(AbstractValidateContentCommand.class);
@@ -113,6 +116,9 @@ public List<ExtraArgument> getExtraArguments() {
     return EXTRA_ARGUMENTS;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Drives the validation execution.
+   */
   protected abstract class AbstractValidationCommandExecutor
       extends AbstractCommandExecutor {
 
@@ -136,27 +142,59 @@ public AbstractValidationCommandExecutor(
      * @param constraintSets
      *          the constraints to configure in the resulting binding context
      * @return the context
-     * @throws MetaschemaException
-     *           if a Metaschema error occurred
-     * @throws IOException
-     *           if an error occurred while reading data
+     * @throws CommandExecutionException
+     *           if a error occurred while getting the binding context
      */
     @NonNull
     protected abstract IBindingContext getBindingContext(@NonNull Set<IConstraintSet> constraintSets)
         throws CommandExecutionException;
 
+    /**
+     * Get the module to use for validation.
+     * <p>
+     * This module is used to generate schemas and as a source of built-in
+     * constraints.
+     *
+     * @param commandLine
+     *          the provided command line argument information
+     * @param bindingContext
+     *          the context used to access Metaschema module information based on
+     *          Java class bindings
+     * @return the loaded Metaschema module
+     * @throws CommandExecutionException
+     *           if an error occurred while loading the module
+     */
     @NonNull
     protected abstract IModule getModule(
         @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
         @NonNull IBindingContext bindingContext)
         throws CommandExecutionException;
 
+    /**
+     * Get the schema validation implementation requested based on the provided
+     * command line arguments.
+     * <p>
+     * It is typical for this call to result in the dynamic generation of a schema
+     * to use for validation.
+     *
+     * @param module
+     *          the Metaschema module to generate the schema from
+     * @param commandLine
+     *          the provided command line argument information
+     * @param bindingContext
+     *          the context used to access Metaschema module information based on
+     *          Java class bindings
+     * @return the provider
+     */
     @NonNull
     protected abstract ISchemaValidationProvider getSchemaValidationProvider(
         @NonNull IModule module,
         @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
         @NonNull IBindingContext bindingContext);
 
+    /**
+     * Execute the validation operation.
+     */
     @SuppressWarnings("PMD.OnlyOneReturn") // readability
     @Override
     public void execute() throws CommandExecutionException {
@@ -168,40 +206,63 @@ public void execute() throws CommandExecutionException {
           CONSTRAINTS_OPTION,
           currentWorkingDirectory);
 
-      IBindingContext bindingContext = getBindingContext(constraintSets);
-      IBoundLoader loader = bindingContext.newBoundLoader();
-
       List<String> extraArgs = cmdLine.getArgList();
 
       URI source = MetaschemaCommands.handleSource(
           ObjectUtils.requireNonNull(extraArgs.get(0)),
           currentWorkingDirectory);
 
+      IBindingContext bindingContext = getBindingContext(constraintSets);
+      IBoundLoader loader = bindingContext.newBoundLoader();
       Format asFormat = MetaschemaCommands.determineSourceFormat(
           cmdLine,
           MetaschemaCommands.AS_FORMAT_OPTION,
           loader,
           source);
 
-      if (LOGGER.isInfoEnabled()) {
-        LOGGER.info("Validating '{}' as {}.", source, asFormat.name());
+      IValidationResult validationResult = validate(source, asFormat, cmdLine, bindingContext);
+      handleOutput(source, validationResult, cmdLine, bindingContext);
+
+      if (validationResult == null || validationResult.isPassing()) {
+        if (LOGGER.isInfoEnabled()) {
+          LOGGER.info("The file '{}' is valid.", source);
+        }
+      } else if (LOGGER.isErrorEnabled()) {
+        LOGGER.error("The file '{}' is invalid.", source);
       }
 
-      IMutableConfiguration<ValidationFeature<?>> configuration = new DefaultConfiguration<>();
-      if (cmdLine.hasOption(SARIF_OUTPUT_FILE_OPTION) && cmdLine.hasOption(SARIF_INCLUDE_PASS_OPTION)) {
-        configuration.enableFeature(ValidationFeature.VALIDATE_GENERATE_PASS_FINDINGS);
+      if (validationResult != null && !validationResult.isPassing()) {
+        throw new CommandExecutionException(ExitCode.FAIL);
+      }
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("PMD.CyclomaticComplexity")
+    @Nullable
+    private IValidationResult validate(
+        @NonNull URI source,
+        @NonNull Format asFormat,
+        @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
+        @NonNull IBindingContext bindingContext) throws CommandExecutionException {
+
+      if (LOGGER.isInfoEnabled()) {
+        LOGGER.info("Validating '{}' as {}.", source, asFormat.name());
       }
 
       IValidationResult validationResult = null;
       try {
-        IModule module = bindingContext.registerModule(getModule(getCommandLine(), bindingContext));
-        if (!cmdLine.hasOption(NO_SCHEMA_VALIDATION_OPTION)) {
+        IModule module = bindingContext.registerModule(getModule(commandLine, bindingContext));
+        if (!commandLine.hasOption(NO_SCHEMA_VALIDATION_OPTION)) {
           // perform schema validation
-          validationResult = getSchemaValidationProvider(module, getCommandLine(), bindingContext)
+          validationResult = getSchemaValidationProvider(module, commandLine, bindingContext)
               .validateWithSchema(source, asFormat, bindingContext);
         }
 
-        if (!cmdLine.hasOption(NO_CONSTRAINT_VALIDATION_OPTION)) {
+        if (!commandLine.hasOption(NO_CONSTRAINT_VALIDATION_OPTION)) {
+          IMutableConfiguration<ValidationFeature<?>> configuration = new DefaultConfiguration<>();
+          if (commandLine.hasOption(SARIF_OUTPUT_FILE_OPTION) && commandLine.hasOption(SARIF_INCLUDE_PASS_OPTION)) {
+            configuration.enableFeature(ValidationFeature.VALIDATE_GENERATE_PASS_FINDINGS);
+          }
+
           // perform constraint validation
           IValidationResult constraintValidationResult = bindingContext.validateWithConstraints(source, configuration);
           validationResult = validationResult == null
@@ -223,9 +284,16 @@ public void execute() throws CommandExecutionException {
       } catch (MetapathException ex) {
         throw new CommandExecutionException(ExitCode.PROCESSING_ERROR, ex.getLocalizedMessage(), ex);
       }
+      return validationResult;
+    }
 
-      if (cmdLine.hasOption(SARIF_OUTPUT_FILE_OPTION) && LOGGER.isInfoEnabled()) {
-        Path sarifFile = ObjectUtils.notNull(Paths.get(cmdLine.getOptionValue(SARIF_OUTPUT_FILE_OPTION)));
+    private void handleOutput(
+        @NonNull URI source,
+        @Nullable IValidationResult validationResult,
+        @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
+        @NonNull IBindingContext bindingContext) throws CommandExecutionException {
+      if (commandLine.hasOption(SARIF_OUTPUT_FILE_OPTION) && LOGGER.isInfoEnabled()) {
+        Path sarifFile = ObjectUtils.notNull(Paths.get(commandLine.getOptionValue(SARIF_OUTPUT_FILE_OPTION)));
 
         IVersionInfo version
             = getCallingContext().getCLIProcessor().getVersionInfos().get(CLIProcessor.COMMAND_VERSION);
@@ -235,7 +303,7 @@ public void execute() throws CommandExecutionException {
           if (validationResult != null) {
             sarifHandler.addFindings(validationResult.getFindings());
           }
-          sarifHandler.write(sarifFile);
+          sarifHandler.write(sarifFile, bindingContext);
         } catch (IOException ex) {
           throw new CommandExecutionException(ExitCode.IO_ERROR, ex.getLocalizedMessage(), ex);
         }
@@ -244,17 +312,6 @@ public void execute() throws CommandExecutionException {
         LoggingValidationHandler.instance().handleResults(validationResult);
       }
 
-      if (validationResult == null || validationResult.isPassing()) {
-        if (LOGGER.isInfoEnabled()) {
-          LOGGER.info("The file '{}' is valid.", source);
-        }
-      } else if (LOGGER.isErrorEnabled()) {
-        LOGGER.error("The file '{}' is invalid.", source);
-      }
-
-      if (validationResult != null && !validationResult.isPassing()) {
-        throw new CommandExecutionException(ExitCode.FAIL);
-      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ConvertContentUsingModuleCommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ConvertContentUsingModuleCommand.java
index 632d393d2..929401afa 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ConvertContentUsingModuleCommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ConvertContentUsingModuleCommand.java
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@
 
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 
+/**
+ * This command implementation supports the conversion of a content instance
+ * between supported formats based on a provided Metaschema module.
+ */
 public class ConvertContentUsingModuleCommand
     extends AbstractConvertSubcommand {
   @NonNull
@@ -80,7 +84,7 @@ private CommandExecutor(
     protected IBindingContext getBindingContext() throws CommandExecutionException {
       IBindingContext retval = MetaschemaCommands.newBindingContextWithDynamicCompilation();
 
-      IModule module = MetaschemaCommands.handleModule(
+      IModule module = MetaschemaCommands.loadModule(
           getCommandLine(),
           MetaschemaCommands.METASCHEMA_REQUIRED_OPTION,
           ObjectUtils.notNull(getCurrentWorkingDirectory().toUri()),
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/GenerateDiagramCommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/GenerateDiagramCommand.java
index 267a413f5..ebaacd5d7 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/GenerateDiagramCommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/GenerateDiagramCommand.java
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.SuppressFBWarnings;
 
+/**
+ * This command implementation supports generation of a diagram depicting the
+ * objects and relationships within a provided Metaschema module.
+ */
 public class GenerateDiagramCommand
     extends AbstractTerminalCommand {
   private static final Logger LOGGER = LogManager.getLogger(GenerateDiagramCommand.class);
@@ -87,7 +91,8 @@ public ICommandExecutor newExecutor(CallingContext callingContext, CommandLine c
    *          information about the calling context
    * @param cmdLine
    *          the parsed command line details
-   * @return the execution result
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while executing the command
    */
   @SuppressWarnings({
       "PMD.OnlyOneReturn", // readability
@@ -119,7 +124,7 @@ protected void executeCommand(
               ex.getLocalizedMessage()),
           ex);
     }
-    IModule module = MetaschemaCommands.handleModule(moduleUri, bindingContext);
+    IModule module = MetaschemaCommands.loadModule(moduleUri, bindingContext);
 
     if (destination == null) {
       Writer stringWriter = new StringWriter();
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/GenerateSchemaCommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/GenerateSchemaCommand.java
index d05e780cd..3d98a185d 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/GenerateSchemaCommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/GenerateSchemaCommand.java
@@ -7,9 +7,6 @@
 
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.CLIProcessor.CallingContext;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.ExitCode;
-import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.ExitStatus;
-import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.InvalidArgumentException;
-import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.OptionUtils;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.AbstractTerminalCommand;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.CommandExecutionException;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.DefaultExtraArgument;
@@ -34,14 +31,16 @@
 import java.io.OutputStream;
 import java.io.OutputStreamWriter;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
-import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
-import java.nio.file.Paths;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 
+/**
+ * This command implementation supports generation of schemas in a variety of
+ * formats based on a provided Metaschema module.
+ */
 public class GenerateSchemaCommand
     extends AbstractTerminalCommand {
   private static final Logger LOGGER = LogManager.getLogger(GenerateSchemaCommand.class);
@@ -49,7 +48,9 @@ public class GenerateSchemaCommand
   @NonNull
   private static final String COMMAND = "generate-schema";
   @NonNull
-  private static final List<ExtraArgument> EXTRA_ARGUMENTS;
+  private static final List<ExtraArgument> EXTRA_ARGUMENTS = ObjectUtils.notNull(List.of(
+      new DefaultExtraArgument("metaschema-module-file-or-URL", true),
+      new DefaultExtraArgument("destination-schema-file", false)));
 
   private static final Option INLINE_TYPES_OPTION = ObjectUtils.notNull(
       Option.builder()
@@ -57,12 +58,6 @@ public class GenerateSchemaCommand
           .desc("definitions declared inline will be generated as inline types")
           .build());
 
-  static {
-    EXTRA_ARGUMENTS = ObjectUtils.notNull(List.of(
-        new DefaultExtraArgument("metaschema-module-file-or-URL", true),
-        new DefaultExtraArgument("destination-schema-file", false)));
-  }
-
   @Override
   public String getName() {
     return COMMAND;
@@ -87,75 +82,37 @@ public List<ExtraArgument> getExtraArguments() {
     return EXTRA_ARGUMENTS;
   }
 
-  @SuppressWarnings("PMD.PreserveStackTrace") // intended
-  @Override
-  public void validateOptions(CallingContext callingContext, CommandLine cmdLine) throws InvalidArgumentException {
-    List<String> extraArgs = cmdLine.getArgList();
-    if (extraArgs.isEmpty() || extraArgs.size() > 2) {
-      throw new InvalidArgumentException("Illegal number of arguments.");
-    }
-  }
-
   @Override
   public ICommandExecutor newExecutor(CallingContext callingContext, CommandLine cmdLine) {
     return ICommandExecutor.using(callingContext, cmdLine, this::executeCommand);
   }
 
   /**
-   * Called to execute the schema generation.
+   * Execute the schema generation operation.
    *
    * @param callingContext
    *          the context information for the execution
    * @param cmdLine
    *          the parsed command line details
-   * @return the execution result
    * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while determining the source format
    */
   @SuppressWarnings({
-      "PMD.OnlyOneReturn" // readability
+      "PMD.OnlyOneReturn", // readability
+      "PMD.CyclomaticComplexity"
   })
-  protected ExitStatus executeCommand(
+  protected void executeCommand(
       @NonNull CallingContext callingContext,
       @NonNull CommandLine cmdLine) throws CommandExecutionException {
     List<String> extraArgs = cmdLine.getArgList();
 
-    Path destination = null;
-    if (extraArgs.size() > 1) {
-      destination = Paths.get(extraArgs.get(1)).toAbsolutePath();
-    }
+    Path destination = extraArgs.size() > 1
+        ? MetaschemaCommands.handleDestination(
+            ObjectUtils.requireNonNull(extraArgs.get(1)),
+            cmdLine)
+        : null;
 
-    if (destination != null) {
-      if (Files.exists(destination)) {
-        if (!cmdLine.hasOption(MetaschemaCommands.OVERWRITE_OPTION)) {
-          return ExitCode.INVALID_ARGUMENTS.exitMessage( // NOPMD readability
-              String.format("The provided destination '%s' already exists and the '%s' option was not provided.",
-                  destination,
-                  OptionUtils.toArgument(MetaschemaCommands.OVERWRITE_OPTION)));
-        }
-        if (!Files.isWritable(destination)) {
-          return ExitCode.IO_ERROR.exitMessage( // NOPMD readability
-              "The provided destination '" + destination + "' is not writable.");
-        }
-      } else {
-        Path parent = destination.getParent();
-        if (parent != null) {
-          try {
-            Files.createDirectories(parent);
-          } catch (IOException ex) {
-            return ExitCode.INVALID_TARGET.exit().withThrowable(ex); // NOPMD readability
-          }
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    SchemaFormat asFormat;
-    try {
-      asFormat = MetaschemaCommands.getSchemaFormat(cmdLine, MetaschemaCommands.AS_SCHEMA_FORMAT_OPTION);
-    } catch (InvalidArgumentException ex) {
-      return ExitCode.INVALID_ARGUMENTS
-          .exitMessage(ex.getLocalizedMessage())
-          .withThrowable(ex);
-    }
+    SchemaFormat asFormat = MetaschemaCommands.getSchemaFormat(cmdLine, MetaschemaCommands.AS_SCHEMA_FORMAT_OPTION);
 
     IMutableConfiguration<SchemaGenerationFeature<?>> configuration = new DefaultConfiguration<>();
     if (cmdLine.hasOption(INLINE_TYPES_OPTION)) {
@@ -168,7 +125,7 @@ protected ExitStatus executeCommand(
     }
 
     IBindingContext bindingContext = MetaschemaCommands.newBindingContextWithDynamicCompilation();
-    IModule module = MetaschemaCommands.handleModule(
+    IModule module = MetaschemaCommands.loadModule(
         ObjectUtils.requireNonNull(extraArgs.get(0)),
         ObjectUtils.notNull(getCurrentWorkingDirectory().toUri()),
         bindingContext);
@@ -191,11 +148,10 @@ protected ExitStatus executeCommand(
         ISchemaGenerator.generateSchema(module, destination, asFormat, configuration);
       }
     } catch (IOException ex) {
-      return ExitCode.PROCESSING_ERROR.exit().withThrowable(ex); // NOPMD readability
+      throw new CommandExecutionException(ExitCode.PROCESSING_ERROR, ex);
     }
     if (destination != null && LOGGER.isInfoEnabled()) {
       LOGGER.info("Generated {} schema file: {}", asFormat.toString(), destination);
     }
-    return ExitCode.OK.exit();
   }
 }
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/MetaschemaCommands.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/MetaschemaCommands.java
index 88fd6c59f..f009ecf59 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/MetaschemaCommands.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/MetaschemaCommands.java
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.commands.metapath.MetapathCommand;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.ExitCode;
-import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.InvalidArgumentException;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.OptionUtils;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.CommandExecutionException;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.ICommand;
@@ -18,6 +17,7 @@
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.model.constraint.IConstraintSet;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.CollectionUtil;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.CustomCollectors;
+import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.DeleteOnShutdown;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.ObjectUtils;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.core.util.UriUtils;
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.databind.IBindingContext;
@@ -44,7 +44,21 @@
 
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 
+/**
+ * This class provides a variety of utility methods for processing
+ * Metaschema-related commands.
+ * <p>
+ * These methods handle the errors produced using the
+ * {@link CommandExecutionException}, which will return an exceptional result to
+ * the command line interface (CLI) processor. This approach keeps the command
+ * implementations fairly clean and simple.
+ */
+@SuppressWarnings("PMD.GodClass")
 public final class MetaschemaCommands {
+  /**
+   * A list of the Metaschema-related command pathways, for reuse in this and
+   * other CLI applications.
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static final List<ICommand> COMMANDS = ObjectUtils.notNull(List.of(
       new ValidateModuleCommand(),
@@ -54,6 +68,11 @@ public final class MetaschemaCommands {
       new ConvertContentUsingModuleCommand(),
       new MetapathCommand()));
 
+  /**
+   * Used by commands to declare a required Metaschema module for processing.
+   *
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static final Option METASCHEMA_REQUIRED_OPTION = ObjectUtils.notNull(
       Option.builder("m")
@@ -63,6 +82,11 @@ public final class MetaschemaCommands {
           .desc("metaschema resource")
           .numberOfArgs(1)
           .build());
+  /**
+   * Used by commands to declare an optional Metaschema module for processing.
+   *
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static final Option METASCHEMA_OPTIONAL_OPTION = ObjectUtils.notNull(
       Option.builder("m")
@@ -71,12 +95,22 @@ public final class MetaschemaCommands {
           .desc("metaschema resource")
           .numberOfArgs(1)
           .build());
+  /**
+   * Used by commands to protect existing files from being overwritten, unless
+   * this option is provided.
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static final Option OVERWRITE_OPTION = ObjectUtils.notNull(
       Option.builder()
           .longOpt("overwrite")
           .desc("overwrite the destination if it exists")
           .build());
+  /**
+   * Used by commands to identify the target format for a content conversion
+   * operation.
+   *
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static final Option TO_OPTION = ObjectUtils.notNull(
       Option.builder()
@@ -88,6 +122,12 @@ public final class MetaschemaCommands {
               .collect(CustomCollectors.joiningWithOxfordComma("or")))
           .numberOfArgs(1)
           .build());
+  /**
+   * Used by commands to identify the source format for a content-related
+   * operation.
+   *
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static final Option AS_FORMAT_OPTION = ObjectUtils.notNull(
       Option.builder()
@@ -99,6 +139,12 @@ public final class MetaschemaCommands {
               .collect(CustomCollectors.joiningWithOxfordComma("or")))
           .numberOfArgs(1)
           .build());
+  /**
+   * Used by commands that produce schemas to identify the schema format to
+   * produce.
+   *
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static final Option AS_SCHEMA_FORMAT_OPTION = ObjectUtils.notNull(
       Option.builder()
@@ -124,6 +170,7 @@ public final class MetaschemaCommands {
    * @return the absolute URI for the resource
    * @throws CommandExecutionException
    *           if the resulting URI is not a well-formed URI
+   * @since 2.0.0
    */
   @NonNull
   public static URI handleSource(
@@ -156,6 +203,7 @@ public static URI handleSource(
    * @return the absolute URI for the resource
    * @throws CommandExecutionException
    *           if the path exists and cannot be overwritten or is not writable
+   * @since 2.0.0
    */
   public static Path handleDestination(
       @NonNull String path,
@@ -202,14 +250,15 @@ public static Path handleDestination(
    * @return the format
    * @throws CommandExecutionException
    *           if the format option was not provided or was an invalid choice
+   * @since 2.0.0
    */
   @SuppressWarnings("PMD.PreserveStackTrace")
   @NonNull
   public static Format getFormat(
-      @NonNull CommandLine cmdLine,
+      @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
       @NonNull Option option) throws CommandExecutionException {
     // use the option
-    String toFormatText = cmdLine.getOptionValue(option);
+    String toFormatText = commandLine.getOptionValue(option);
     if (toFormatText == null) {
       throw new CommandExecutionException(
           ExitCode.INVALID_ARGUMENTS,
@@ -234,33 +283,81 @@ public static Format getFormat(
   }
 
   /**
+   * Parse the command line options to get the selected schema format.
    *
-   * @param cmdLine
+   * @param commandLine
+   *          the provided command line argument information
    * @param option
+   *          the option specifying the format, which must be present on the
+   *          command line
+   * @return the format
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if the format option was not provided or was an invalid choice
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
+  @SuppressWarnings("PMD.PreserveStackTrace")
+  @NonNull
+  public static SchemaFormat getSchemaFormat(
+      @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
+      @NonNull Option option) throws CommandExecutionException {
+    // use the option
+    String toFormatText = commandLine.getOptionValue(option);
+    if (toFormatText == null) {
+      throw new CommandExecutionException(
+          ExitCode.INVALID_ARGUMENTS,
+          String.format("Option '%s' not provided.",
+              option.hasLongOpt()
+                  ? "--" + option.getLongOpt()
+                  : "-" + option.getOpt()));
+    }
+    try {
+      return SchemaFormat.valueOf(toFormatText.toUpperCase(Locale.ROOT));
+    } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
+      throw new CommandExecutionException(
+          ExitCode.INVALID_ARGUMENTS,
+          String.format("Invalid '%s' argument. The schema format must be one of: %s.",
+              option.hasLongOpt()
+                  ? "--" + option.getLongOpt()
+                  : "-" + option.getOpt(),
+              Arrays.stream(SchemaFormat.values())
+                  .map(Enum::name)
+                  .collect(CustomCollectors.joiningWithOxfordComma("or"))),
+          ex);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Detect the source format for content identified using the provided option.
+   * <p>
+   * This method will first check if the source format is explicitly declared on
+   * the command line. If so, this format will be returned.
+   * <p>
+   * If not, then the content will be analyzed to determine the format.
+   *
+   * @param commandLine
+   *          the provided command line argument information
+   * @param option
+   *          the option specifying the format, which must be present on the
+   *          command line
    * @param loader
+   *          the content loader to use to load the content instance
    * @param resource
-   * @return
-   * @throws InvalidArgumentException
-   *           if the option is not a supported format
-   * @throws FileNotFoundException
-   *           if the URI is a file that was not found
-   * @throws IOException
-   *           if there was an error reading the file to determine the format of
-   *           the file
-   * @throws IllegalArgumentException
-   *           if the format of the source file was not recognized
+   *          the resource to load
+   * @return the identified content format
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while determining the source format
    * @since 2.0.0
    */
   @SuppressWarnings({ "PMD.PreserveStackTrace", "PMD.OnlyOneReturn" })
   @NonNull
   public static Format determineSourceFormat(
-      @NonNull CommandLine cmdLine,
+      @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
       @NonNull Option option,
       @NonNull IBoundLoader loader,
       @NonNull URI resource) throws CommandExecutionException {
-    if (cmdLine.hasOption(option)) {
+    if (commandLine.hasOption(option)) {
       // use the option
-      return getFormat(cmdLine, option);
+      return getFormat(commandLine, option);
     }
 
     // attempt to determine the format
@@ -284,11 +381,29 @@ public static Format determineSourceFormat(
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Load a Metaschema module based on the provided command line option.
+   *
+   * @param commandLine
+   *          the provided command line argument information
+   * @param option
+   *          the option specifying the module to load, which must be present on
+   *          the command line
+   * @param currentWorkingDirectory
+   *          the URI of the current working directory
+   * @param bindingContext
+   *          the context used to access Metaschema module information based on
+   *          Java class bindings
+   * @return the loaded module
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while loading the module
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
-  public static IModule handleModule(
+  public static IModule loadModule(
       @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
       @NonNull Option option,
-      @NonNull URI cwd,
+      @NonNull URI currentWorkingDirectory,
       @NonNull IBindingContext bindingContext) throws CommandExecutionException {
     String moduleName = commandLine.getOptionValue(option);
     if (moduleName == null) {
@@ -302,7 +417,7 @@ public static IModule handleModule(
 
     URI moduleUri;
     try {
-      moduleUri = UriUtils.toUri(moduleName, cwd);
+      moduleUri = UriUtils.toUri(moduleName, currentWorkingDirectory);
     } catch (URISyntaxException ex) {
       throw new CommandExecutionException(
           ExitCode.INVALID_ARGUMENTS,
@@ -311,11 +426,29 @@ public static IModule handleModule(
               ex.getLocalizedMessage()),
           ex);
     }
-    return handleModule(moduleUri, bindingContext);
+    return loadModule(moduleUri, bindingContext);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Load a Metaschema module from the provided relative resource path.
+   * <p>
+   * This method will resolve the provided resource against the current working
+   * directory to create an absolute URI.
+   *
+   * @param moduleResource
+   *          the relative path to the module resource to load
+   * @param currentWorkingDirectory
+   *          the URI of the current working directory
+   * @param bindingContext
+   *          the context used to access Metaschema module information based on
+   *          Java class bindings
+   * @return the loaded module
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while loading the module
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
-  public static IModule handleModule(
+  public static IModule loadModule(
       @NonNull String moduleResource,
       @NonNull URI currentWorkingDirectory,
       @NonNull IBindingContext bindingContext) throws CommandExecutionException {
@@ -323,7 +456,7 @@ public static IModule handleModule(
       URI moduleUri = getResourceUri(
           moduleResource,
           currentWorkingDirectory);
-      return handleModule(moduleUri, bindingContext);
+      return loadModule(moduleUri, bindingContext);
     } catch (URISyntaxException ex) {
       throw new CommandExecutionException(
           ExitCode.INVALID_ARGUMENTS,
@@ -334,10 +467,24 @@ public static IModule handleModule(
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Load a Metaschema module from the provided resource path.
+   *
+   * @param moduleResource
+   *          the absolute path to the module resource to load
+   * @param bindingContext
+   *          the context used to access Metaschema module information based on
+   *          Java class bindings
+   * @return the loaded module
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while loading the module
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
-  public static IModule handleModule(
+  public static IModule loadModule(
       @NonNull URI moduleResource,
       @NonNull IBindingContext bindingContext) throws CommandExecutionException {
+    // TODO: ensure the resource URI is absolute
     try {
       IBindingModuleLoader loader = bindingContext.newModuleLoader();
       loader.allowEntityResolution();
@@ -352,7 +499,7 @@ public static IModule handleModule(
    *
    * @param location
    *          the resource location
-   * @param cwd
+   * @param currentWorkingDirectory
    *          the URI of the current working directory
    * @return the resolved URI
    * @throws URISyntaxException
@@ -361,24 +508,40 @@ public static IModule handleModule(
   @NonNull
   public static URI getResourceUri(
       @NonNull String location,
-      @NonNull URI cwd) throws URISyntaxException {
-    return UriUtils.toUri(location, cwd);
+      @NonNull URI currentWorkingDirectory) throws URISyntaxException {
+    return UriUtils.toUri(location, currentWorkingDirectory);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Load a set of external Metaschema module constraints based on the provided
+   * command line option.
+   *
+   * @param commandLine
+   *          the provided command line argument information
+   * @param option
+   *          the option specifying the constraints to load, which must be present
+   *          on the command line
+   * @param currentWorkingDirectory
+   *          the URI of the current working directory
+   * @return the set of loaded constraints
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while loading the module
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static Set<IConstraintSet> loadConstraintSets(
-      @NonNull CommandLine cmdLine,
+      @NonNull CommandLine commandLine,
       @NonNull Option option,
-      @NonNull URI cwd) throws CommandExecutionException {
+      @NonNull URI currentWorkingDirectory) throws CommandExecutionException {
     Set<IConstraintSet> constraintSets;
-    if (cmdLine.hasOption(option)) {
+    if (commandLine.hasOption(option)) {
       IConstraintLoader constraintLoader = IBindingContext.getConstraintLoader();
       constraintSets = new LinkedHashSet<>();
-      String[] args = cmdLine.getOptionValues(option);
+      String[] args = commandLine.getOptionValues(option);
       for (String arg : args) {
         assert arg != null;
         try {
-          URI constraintUri = ObjectUtils.requireNonNull(UriUtils.toUri(arg, cwd));
+          URI constraintUri = ObjectUtils.requireNonNull(UriUtils.toUri(arg, currentWorkingDirectory));
           constraintSets.addAll(constraintLoader.load(constraintUri));
         } catch (URISyntaxException | IOException | MetaschemaException | MetapathException ex) {
           throw new CommandExecutionException(
@@ -395,24 +558,52 @@ public static Set<IConstraintSet> loadConstraintSets(
     return constraintSets;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Create a temporary directory for ephemeral files that will be deleted on
+   * shutdown.
+   *
+   * @return the temp directory path
+   * @throws IOException
+   *           if an error occurred while creating the temporary directory
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static Path newTempDir() throws IOException {
     Path retval = Files.createTempDirectory("metaschema-cli-");
-    retval.toFile().deleteOnExit();
-    return retval;
+    DeleteOnShutdown.register(retval);
+    return ObjectUtils.notNull(retval);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Create a new {@link IBindingContext} that is configured for dynamic
+   * compilation.
+   *
+   * @return the binding context
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while creating the binding context
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static IBindingContext newBindingContextWithDynamicCompilation() throws CommandExecutionException {
     return newBindingContextWithDynamicCompilation(CollectionUtil.emptySet());
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Create a new {@link IBindingContext} that is configured for dynamic
+   * compilation and to use the provided constraints.
+   *
+   * @param constraintSets
+   *          the Metaschema module constraints to dynamicly bind to loaded
+   *          modules
+   * @return the binding context
+   * @throws CommandExecutionException
+   *           if an error occurred while creating the binding context
+   * @since 2.0.0
+   */
   @NonNull
   public static IBindingContext newBindingContextWithDynamicCompilation(@NonNull Set<IConstraintSet> constraintSets)
       throws CommandExecutionException {
     try {
       Path tempDir = newTempDir();
-      tempDir.toFile().deleteOnExit();
       return IBindingContext.builder()
           .compilePath(tempDir)
           .constraintSet(constraintSets)
@@ -424,34 +615,6 @@ public static IBindingContext newBindingContextWithDynamicCompilation(@NonNull S
     }
   }
 
-  @SuppressWarnings("PMD.PreserveStackTrace")
-  @NonNull
-  public static SchemaFormat getSchemaFormat(
-      @NonNull CommandLine cmdLine,
-      @NonNull Option option) throws InvalidArgumentException {
-    // use the option
-    String toFormatText = cmdLine.getOptionValue(option);
-    if (toFormatText == null) {
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException(
-          String.format("Option '%s' not provided.",
-              option.hasLongOpt()
-                  ? "--" + option.getLongOpt()
-                  : "-" + option.getOpt()));
-    }
-    try {
-      return SchemaFormat.valueOf(toFormatText.toUpperCase(Locale.ROOT));
-    } catch (IllegalArgumentException ex) {
-      throw new InvalidArgumentException(
-          String.format("Invalid '%s' argument. The schema format must be one of: %s.",
-              option.hasLongOpt()
-                  ? "--" + option.getLongOpt()
-                  : "-" + option.getOpt(),
-              Arrays.stream(SchemaFormat.values())
-                  .map(Enum::name)
-                  .collect(CustomCollectors.joiningWithOxfordComma("or"))));
-    }
-  }
-
   private MetaschemaCommands() {
     // disable construction
   }
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ValidateContentUsingModuleCommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ValidateContentUsingModuleCommand.java
index 87b091a42..25320e5ed 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ValidateContentUsingModuleCommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ValidateContentUsingModuleCommand.java
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@
 
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 
+/**
+ * This command implementation supports validation of a content instance based
+ * on a provided Metaschema module.
+ */
 public class ValidateContentUsingModuleCommand
     extends AbstractValidateContentCommand {
   @NonNull
@@ -92,7 +96,7 @@ protected IBindingContext getBindingContext(@NonNull Set<IConstraintSet> constra
     protected IModule getModule(
         CommandLine commandLine,
         IBindingContext bindingContext) throws CommandExecutionException {
-      return MetaschemaCommands.handleModule(
+      return MetaschemaCommands.loadModule(
           commandLine,
           MetaschemaCommands.METASCHEMA_REQUIRED_OPTION,
           ObjectUtils.notNull(getCurrentWorkingDirectory().toUri()),
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ValidateModuleCommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ValidateModuleCommand.java
index cecd2f474..bb42bab31 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ValidateModuleCommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/ValidateModuleCommand.java
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 import nl.talsmasoftware.lazy4j.Lazy;
 
+/**
+ * This command implementation supports validation a Metaschema module.
+ */
 public class ValidateModuleCommand
     extends AbstractValidateContentCommand {
   @NonNull
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/EvaluateMetapathCommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/EvaluateMetapathCommand.java
index 2c1f9b4e5..9e6238f61 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/EvaluateMetapathCommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/EvaluateMetapathCommand.java
@@ -44,6 +44,20 @@
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.SuppressFBWarnings;
 
+/**
+ * This command implementation executes a Metapath query.
+ * <p>
+ * The query is executed using one of the following configurations:
+ * <ol>
+ * <li><b>module and content:</b> on a content instance parsed using a provided
+ * Metaschema module,</li>
+ * <li><b>module-only:</b> against the Metaschema module itself if no content
+ * instance is provided, or</li>
+ * <li><b>without content or module:</b> if both a module and content are
+ * omitted then the execution will be limited to operations that do not act on
+ * content.</li>
+ * </ol>
+ */
 public class EvaluateMetapathCommand
     extends AbstractTerminalCommand {
   private static final Logger LOGGER = LogManager.getLogger(EvaluateMetapathCommand.class);
@@ -106,7 +120,10 @@ public ICommandExecutor newExecutor(CallingContext callingContext, CommandLine c
 
   @SuppressWarnings({
       "PMD.OnlyOneReturn", // readability
-      "PMD.AvoidCatchingGenericException"
+      "PMD.AvoidCatchingGenericException",
+      "PMD.NPathComplexity",
+      "PMD.CognitiveComplexity",
+      "PMD.CyclomaticComplexity"
   })
   @SuppressFBWarnings(value = "REC_CATCH_EXCEPTION",
       justification = "Catching generic exception for CLI error handling")
@@ -119,7 +136,7 @@ private void executeCommand(
     if (cmdLine.hasOption(MetaschemaCommands.METASCHEMA_OPTIONAL_OPTION)) {
       IBindingContext bindingContext = MetaschemaCommands.newBindingContextWithDynamicCompilation();
 
-      module = MetaschemaCommands.handleModule(
+      module = MetaschemaCommands.loadModule(
           cmdLine,
           MetaschemaCommands.METASCHEMA_OPTIONAL_OPTION,
           ObjectUtils.notNull(getCurrentWorkingDirectory().toUri()),
@@ -158,16 +175,18 @@ private void executeCommand(
               ex);
         }
       } else {
+        // evaluate against the module
         item = INodeItemFactory.instance().newModuleNodeItem(module);
       }
     } else if (cmdLine.hasOption(CONTENT_OPTION)) {
       // content provided, but no module; require module
-      String contentLocation = ObjectUtils.requireNonNull(cmdLine.getOptionValue(CONTENT_OPTION));
       throw new CommandExecutionException(
           ExitCode.INVALID_ARGUMENTS,
-          String.format("Must use '%s' to specify the Metaschema module.", CONTENT_OPTION.getArgName()));
+          String.format("Must use '%s' to specify the Metaschema module.",
+              CONTENT_OPTION.getArgName()));
     }
 
+    // now setup to evaluate the metapath
     StaticContext.Builder builder = StaticContext.builder();
     if (module != null) {
       builder.defaultModelNamespace(module.getXmlNamespace());
@@ -186,6 +205,7 @@ private void executeCommand(
       MetapathExpression compiledMetapath = MetapathExpression.compile(expression, staticContext);
       ISequence<?> sequence = compiledMetapath.evaluate(item, new DynamicContext(staticContext));
 
+      // handle the metapath results
       try (Writer stringWriter = new StringWriter()) {
         try (PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter(stringWriter)) {
           try (IItemWriter itemWriter = new DefaultItemWriter(writer)) {
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/ListFunctionsSubcommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/ListFunctionsSubcommand.java
index cc597da12..6f7933730 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/ListFunctionsSubcommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/ListFunctionsSubcommand.java
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@
 
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 
+/**
+ * This command list the Metapath functions currently provided by the Metaschema
+ * runtime.
+ */
 public class ListFunctionsSubcommand
     extends AbstractTerminalCommand {
   private static final Logger LOGGER = LogManager.getLogger(ListFunctionsSubcommand.class);
@@ -61,7 +65,8 @@ public ICommandExecutor newExecutor(CallingContext callingContext, CommandLine c
    */
   @SuppressWarnings({
       "PMD.OnlyOneReturn", // readability
-      "PMD.AvoidInstantiatingObjectsInLoops"
+      "PMD.AvoidInstantiatingObjectsInLoops",
+      "PMD.CognitiveComplexity"
   })
   protected ExitStatus executeCommand(
       @NonNull CallingContext callingContext,
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/MetapathCommand.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/MetapathCommand.java
index 903fd1590..0d1a0d79c 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/MetapathCommand.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/MetapathCommand.java
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@
 
 import gov.nist.secauto.metaschema.cli.processor.command.AbstractParentCommand;
 
+/**
+ * This sub-command implementation contains all command that relate to Metapath
+ * execution.
+ */
 public class MetapathCommand
     extends AbstractParentCommand {
   private static final String COMMAND = "metapath";
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/util/LoggingValidationHandler.java b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/util/LoggingValidationHandler.java
index 0fe51e7eb..16ac89d9c 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/util/LoggingValidationHandler.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/main/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/util/LoggingValidationHandler.java
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.NonNull;
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.SuppressFBWarnings;
 
+/**
+ * Supports logging validation findings to the console using ANSI color codes to
+ * improve the visibility of warnings and errors.
+ */
 public final class LoggingValidationHandler
     extends AbstractValidationResultProcessor {
   private static final Logger LOGGER = LogManager.getLogger(LoggingValidationHandler.class);
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/CLITest.java b/metaschema-cli/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/CLITest.java
index 27efe0397..e9b7e8a79 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/CLITest.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/CLITest.java
@@ -39,14 +39,13 @@ void evaluateResult(@NonNull ExitStatus status, @NonNull ExitCode expectedCode,
       @NonNull Class<? extends Throwable> thrownClass) {
     status.generateMessage(true);
     Throwable thrown = status.getThrowable();
-    assert thrown != null;
-    assertAll(() -> assertEquals(expectedCode, status.getExitCode(), "exit code mismatch"),
-        () -> assertEquals(thrownClass, thrown.getClass(), "expected Throwable mismatch"));
+    assertAll(
+        () -> assertEquals(expectedCode, status.getExitCode(), "exit code mismatch"),
+        () -> assertEquals(thrownClass, thrown == null ? null : thrown.getClass(), "expected Throwable mismatch"));
   }
 
   private static Stream<Arguments> providesValues() {
-    @SuppressWarnings("serial")
-    List<Arguments> values = new LinkedList<>() {
+    @SuppressWarnings("serial") List<Arguments> values = new LinkedList<>() {
       {
         add(Arguments.of(new String[] {}, ExitCode.INVALID_COMMAND,
             NO_EXCEPTION_CLASS));
@@ -159,7 +158,7 @@ private static Stream<Arguments> providesValues() {
                 "--disable-schema-validation"
             },
             // fail due to missing element during parsing
-            ExitCode.IO_ERROR, java.io.IOException.class));
+            ExitCode.FAIL, NO_EXCEPTION_CLASS));
         add(Arguments.of(
             new String[] { "validate-content",
                 "-m",
@@ -181,15 +180,6 @@ private static Stream<Arguments> providesValues() {
                 "../core/metaschema/schema/metaschema/metaschema-module-metaschema.xml",
             },
             ExitCode.OK, NO_EXCEPTION_CLASS));
-        add(Arguments.of(
-            new String[] { "validate-content",
-                "-m",
-                "src/test/resources/content/215-module.xml",
-                "src/test/resources/content/215.xml",
-                "--disable-schema-validation",
-                "--show-stack-trace"
-            },
-            ExitCode.FAIL, NO_EXCEPTION_CLASS));
       }
     };
 
@@ -214,10 +204,10 @@ void testAllCommands(@NonNull String[] args, @NonNull ExitCode expectedExitCode,
   void test() {
     String[] cliArgs = { "validate-content",
         "-m",
-        "src/test/resources/content/215-module.xml",
-        "src/test/resources/content/215.xml",
-        "--disable-schema-validation",
-        "--show-stack-trace"
+        "src/test/resources/content/schema-validation-module.xml",
+        "src/test/resources/content/schema-validation-module-missing-required.xml",
+        "--as=xml",
+        "--disable-schema-validation"
     };
     CLI.runCli(cliArgs);
   }
diff --git a/metaschema-cli/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/EvaluateMetapathSubCommandTest.java b/metaschema-cli/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/EvaluateMetapathSubCommandTest.java
index b307f3fd1..9949e77fd 100644
--- a/metaschema-cli/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/EvaluateMetapathSubCommandTest.java
+++ b/metaschema-cli/src/test/java/gov/nist/secauto/metaschema/cli/commands/metapath/EvaluateMetapathSubCommandTest.java
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@
 
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
-import nl.altindag.console.ConsoleCaptor;
+import nl.altindag.log.LogCaptor;
 
 class EvaluateMetapathSubCommandTest {
 
   @Test
   void test() {
-    try (ConsoleCaptor consoleCaptor = new ConsoleCaptor()) {
+    try (LogCaptor captor = LogCaptor.forRoot()) {
       String[] args
           = {
               "metapath",
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ void test() {
               "3 + 4 + 5",
               "--show-stack-trace" };
       CLI.runCli(args);
-      assertThat(consoleCaptor.getStandardOutput()).contains("12");
+      assertThat(captor.getInfoLogs().contains("12"));
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/metaschema-maven-plugin/pom.xml b/metaschema-maven-plugin/pom.xml
index 6646e9a95..f6e13c914 100644
--- a/metaschema-maven-plugin/pom.xml
+++ b/metaschema-maven-plugin/pom.xml
@@ -137,23 +137,22 @@
                             <goal>addPluginArtifactMetadata</goal>
                         </goals>
                     </execution>
+                    <execution>
+                        <id>help-mojo</id>
+                        <goals>
+                            <goal>helpmojo</goal>
+                        </goals>
+                    </execution>
                     <execution>
                         <id>default-descriptor</id>
-                        <phase>process-classes</phase>
                         <goals>
                             <goal>descriptor</goal>
                         </goals>
                         <configuration>
                             <goalPrefix>metaschema</goalPrefix>
-                            <skipErrorNoDescriptorsFound>false</skipErrorNoDescriptorsFound>
+                            <skipErrorNoDescriptorsFound>true</skipErrorNoDescriptorsFound>
                         </configuration>
                     </execution>
-                    <execution>
-                        <id>help-mojo</id>
-                        <goals>
-                            <goal>helpmojo</goal>
-                        </goals>
-                    </execution>
                 </executions>
             </plugin>
         </plugins>