diff --git a/cli/src/commands/validate/validate.spec.ts b/cli/src/commands/validate/validate.spec.ts
index 2e6eb83e..1b983ee6 100644
--- a/cli/src/commands/validate/validate.spec.ts
+++ b/cli/src/commands/validate/validate.spec.ts
@@ -159,6 +159,21 @@ describe('validate', () => {
         fetchMock.restore();
     });
 
+    it('exits with error when the pattern does not pass all the spectral validations', async () => {
+
+        const apiGateway = readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../test_fixtures/api-gateway-with-no-relationships.json'), 'utf8');
+        fetchMock.mock('http://exist/api-gateway.json', apiGateway);
+
+        const apiGatewayInstantiation = readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname, '../../../test_fixtures/api-gateway-implementation.json'), 'utf8');
+        fetchMock.mock('https://exist/api-gateway-implementation.json', apiGatewayInstantiation);
+
+        await expect(validate('https://exist/api-gateway-implementation.json', 'http://exist/api-gateway.json', metaSchemaLocation, debugDisabled))
+            .rejects
+            .toThrow();
+
+        fetchMock.restore();
+    });
+
     it('exits with error when the meta schema location is not a directory', async () => {
         await expect(validate('https://url/with/non/json/response', 'http://exist/api-gateway.json', 'test_fixtures/api-gateway.json', debugDisabled))
             .rejects
@@ -323,6 +338,14 @@ describe('formatJsonSchemaOutput', () => {
 
 });
 
+describe('stripRefs', () => {
+    const objectWithRefs = JSON.parse('{"$ref":123,"abc":{"$ref":321}}');
+    const expectedString = '{"ref":123,"abc":{"ref":321}}';
+
+    expect(exportedForTesting.stripRefs(objectWithRefs))
+        .toBe(expectedString);
+});
+
 
 
 
diff --git a/cli/src/commands/validate/validate.ts b/cli/src/commands/validate/validate.ts
index dcdf0cef..a81cfbcc 100644
--- a/cli/src/commands/validate/validate.ts
+++ b/cli/src/commands/validate/validate.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export default async function validate(jsonSchemaInstantiationLocation: string,
 
         const validateSchema = ajv.compile(jsonSchema);
 
-        const spectralResult: SpectralResult = await runSpectralValidations(jsonSchemaInstantiation);
+        const spectralResult: SpectralResult = await runSpectralValidations(jsonSchemaInstantiation, stripRefs(jsonSchema));
         errors = spectralResult.errors;
         validations = validations.concat(spectralResult.spectralIssues);
 
@@ -85,14 +85,16 @@ function loadMetaSchemas(ajv: Ajv2020, metaSchemaLocation: string) {
     });
 }
 
-async function runSpectralValidations(jsonSchemaInstantiation: string): Promise<SpectralResult> {
+async function runSpectralValidations(jsonSchemaInstantiation: string, jsonSchema: string): Promise<SpectralResult> {
     
     let errors = false;
     let spectralIssues: ValidationOutput[] = [];
     const spectral = new Spectral();
 
     spectral.setRuleset(await getRuleset('../spectral/instantiation/validation-rules.yaml'));
-    const issues = await spectral.run(jsonSchemaInstantiation);
+    let issues = await spectral.run(jsonSchemaInstantiation);
+    spectral.setRuleset(await getRuleset('../spectral/pattern/validation-rules.yaml'));
+    issues = issues.concat(await spectral.run(jsonSchema));
 
     if (issues && issues.length > 0) {
         logger.debug(`Spectral raw output: ${prettifyJson(issues)}`);
@@ -182,8 +184,12 @@ function prettifyJson(json){
     return JSON.stringify(json, null, 4);
 }
 
+function stripRefs(obj: object) : string {
+    return JSON.stringify(obj).replaceAll('$ref', 'ref');
+}
 
 export const exportedForTesting = {
     formatSpectralOutput,
-    formatJsonSchemaOutput
+    formatJsonSchemaOutput,
+    stripRefs
 };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/cli/test_fixtures/api-gateway-with-no-relationships.json b/cli/test_fixtures/api-gateway-with-no-relationships.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8d18db04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/test_fixtures/api-gateway-with-no-relationships.json
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/finos-labs/architecture-as-code/main/calm/draft/2024-03/meta/calm.json",
+  "$id": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/finos-labs/architecture-as-code/main/calm/pattern/api-gateway",
+  "title": "API Gateway Pattern",
+  "type": "object",
+  "properties": {
+    "nodes": {
+      "type": "array",
+      "minItems": 3,
+      "prefixItems": [
+        {
+          "$ref": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/finos-labs/architecture-as-code/main/calm/draft/2024-03/meta/core.json#/defs/node",
+          "properties": {
+            "ingress-host": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "ingress-port": {
+              "type": "integer"
+            },
+            "well-known-endpoint": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "description": {
+              "const": "The API Gateway used to verify authorization and access to downstream system"
+            },
+            "type": {
+              "const": "system"
+            },
+            "name": {
+              "const": "API Gateway"
+            },
+            "unique-id": {
+              "const": "api-gateway"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "ingress-host",
+            "ingress-port",
+            "well-known-endpoint"
+          ]
+        },
+        {
+          "$ref": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/finos-labs/architecture-as-code/main/calm/draft/2024-03/meta/core.json#/defs/node",
+          "properties": {
+            "description": {
+              "const": "The API Consumer making an authenticated and authorized request"
+            },
+            "type": {
+              "const": "system"
+            },
+            "name": {
+              "const": "Python Based API Consumer"
+            },
+            "unique-id": {
+              "const": "api-consumer"
+            }
+          }
+        },
+        {
+          "$ref": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/finos-labs/architecture-as-code/main/calm/draft/2024-03/meta/core.json#/defs/node",
+          "properties": {
+            "host": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "port": {
+              "type": "integer"
+            },
+            "description": {
+              "const": "The API Producer serving content"
+            },
+            "type": {
+              "const": "system"
+            },
+            "name": {
+              "const": "Java Based API Producer"
+            },
+            "unique-id": {
+              "const": "api-producer"
+            }
+          },
+          "required": [
+            "host",
+            "port"
+          ]
+        },
+        {
+          "$ref": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/finos-labs/architecture-as-code/main/calm/draft/2024-03/meta/core.json#/defs/node",
+          "properties": {
+            "description": {
+              "const": "The Identity Provider used to verify the bearer token"
+            },
+            "type": {
+              "const": "system"
+            },
+            "name": {
+              "const": "Identity Provider"
+            },
+            "unique-id": {
+              "const": "idp"
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "nodes",
+    "relationships"
+  ]
+}