diff --git a/scripts/validate-tutor-course-content.mjs b/scripts/validate-tutor-course-content.mjs
index 2788bca8..403ed03c 100644
--- a/scripts/validate-tutor-course-content.mjs
+++ b/scripts/validate-tutor-course-content.mjs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import path from "node:path";
 import { validateTutorCourseContentDirectory } from "../server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.ts";
 
 const directory = process.argv[2];
-if (!directory) {
+if (directory === undefined || directory.length === 0) {
   console.error("Usage: npm run validate:tutor-course-content -- <course-content-directory>");
   process.exitCode = 2;
 } else {
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ if (!directory) {
   } else {
     for (const issue of issues) {
       const scope = [issue.caseId, issue.topicId, issue.conceptId, issue.indicatorId].filter(Boolean).join("/");
-      console.error(`${issue.code}${scope ? ` [${scope}]` : ""}: ${issue.message}`);
+      const scopeSuffix = scope ? ` [${scope}]` : "";
+      console.error(`${issue.code}${scopeSuffix}: ${issue.message}`);
     }
     process.exitCode = 1;
   }
diff --git a/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.ts b/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.ts
index 474c8a4c..31ddae99 100644
--- a/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.ts
+++ b/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { readFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { parse as parseYaml } from "yaml";
-import type { FullCommitSha, RepositorySlug } from "@shared/examples";
 import { CourseContentLoader, type LoadedCourseContentSnapshot } from "./course-content-loader";
 import { tutorQualityCasesSchema } from "./tutor-quality-schema";
 import { BUILT_IN_TUTOR_STRATEGY, type EffectiveTutorStrategy } from "../tutor/strategy/effective-tutor-strategy";
@@ -11,8 +10,8 @@ import {
   type TutorContentQualityIssue,
 } from "./tutor-quality-validator";
 
-const LOCAL_REVISION = "0".repeat(40) as FullCommitSha;
-const LOCAL_REPOSITORY = "local/course-content" as RepositorySlug;
+const LOCAL_REVISION = "0".repeat(40);
+const LOCAL_REPOSITORY = "local/course-content";
 
 export async function validateTutorCourseContentDirectory(directory: string): Promise<TutorContentQualityIssue[]> {
   const root = path.resolve(directory);
diff --git a/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-validator.ts b/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-validator.ts
index 711eaf49..fccc893e 100644
--- a/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-validator.ts
+++ b/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-validator.ts
@@ -83,20 +83,46 @@ function validateActivationReferences(
   issues: TutorContentQualityIssue[],
 ): void {
   for (const { qualityCase, activatedTopicIds } of contexts) {
-    for (const topicId of [...qualityCase.expectedTopics, ...qualityCase.forbiddenTopics]) {
-      if (!topicIds.has(topicId)) {
-        issues.push(issue("unknown-topic-reference", `Quality case references unknown Topic ${topicId}`, qualityCase.id, topicId));
-      }
+    validateUnknownTopicReferences(qualityCase, topicIds, issues);
+    validateExpectedTopicActivation(qualityCase, activatedTopicIds, topicIds, issues);
+    validateForbiddenTopicActivation(qualityCase, activatedTopicIds, topicIds, issues);
+  }
+}
+
+function validateUnknownTopicReferences(
+  qualityCase: ResolvedTutorQualityCase,
+  topicIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
+  issues: TutorContentQualityIssue[],
+): void {
+  for (const topicId of [...qualityCase.expectedTopics, ...qualityCase.forbiddenTopics]) {
+    if (!topicIds.has(topicId)) {
+      issues.push(issue("unknown-topic-reference", `Quality case references unknown Topic ${topicId}`, qualityCase.id, topicId));
     }
-    for (const topicId of qualityCase.expectedTopics) {
-      if (topicIds.has(topicId) && !activatedTopicIds.has(topicId)) {
-        issues.push(issue("expected-topic-not-activated", `Expected Topic ${topicId} is not activated`, qualityCase.id, topicId));
-      }
+  }
+}
+
+function validateExpectedTopicActivation(
+  qualityCase: ResolvedTutorQualityCase,
+  activatedTopicIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
+  topicIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
+  issues: TutorContentQualityIssue[],
+): void {
+  for (const topicId of qualityCase.expectedTopics) {
+    if (topicIds.has(topicId) && !activatedTopicIds.has(topicId)) {
+      issues.push(issue("expected-topic-not-activated", `Expected Topic ${topicId} is not activated`, qualityCase.id, topicId));
     }
-    for (const topicId of qualityCase.forbiddenTopics) {
-      if (topicIds.has(topicId) && activatedTopicIds.has(topicId)) {
-        issues.push(issue("forbidden-topic-activated", `Forbidden Topic ${topicId} is activated`, qualityCase.id, topicId));
-      }
+  }
+}
+
+function validateForbiddenTopicActivation(
+  qualityCase: ResolvedTutorQualityCase,
+  activatedTopicIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
+  topicIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
+  issues: TutorContentQualityIssue[],
+): void {
+  for (const topicId of qualityCase.forbiddenTopics) {
+    if (topicIds.has(topicId) && activatedTopicIds.has(topicId)) {
+      issues.push(issue("forbidden-topic-activated", `Forbidden Topic ${topicId} is activated`, qualityCase.id, topicId));
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/tests/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.test.ts b/tests/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.test.ts
index caaf11df..e9e0de81 100644
--- a/tests/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.test.ts
+++ b/tests/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-directory-validator.test.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,14 @@ describe("Tutor Course Content directory validator", () => {
       { cwd: process.cwd() },
     )).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 1 });
   });
+
+  it("returns usage status when no Course Content directory is provided", async () => {
+    await expect(executeFile(
+      path.resolve("node_modules/.bin/tsx"),
+      ["scripts/validate-tutor-course-content.mjs"],
+      { cwd: process.cwd() },
+    )).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 2 });
+  });
 });
 
 async function courseContentDirectory(withCases = true): Promise<string> {
diff --git a/tests/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-validator.test.ts b/tests/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-validator.test.ts
index 7a82b644..0bbf70f9 100644
--- a/tests/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-validator.test.ts
+++ b/tests/server/services/course-content/tutor-quality-validator.test.ts
@@ -106,6 +106,15 @@ describe("deterministic Tutor Course Content quality", () => {
     ]));
   });
 
+  it("reports quality cases that reference an unknown Topic", () => {
+    const unknownTopicCase: ResolvedTutorQualityCase = {
+      ...cases()[0]!,
+      expectedTopics: ["missing-topic"],
+    };
+
+    expect(codes(validateTutorContentQuality([validTopic()], [unknownTopicCase]))).toContain("unknown-topic-reference");
+  });
+
   it("reports Concepts and required Indicators with no applicable question", () => {
     const topic = validTopic();
     topic.concepts.push({