diff --git a/CHANGELOG.yml b/CHANGELOG.yml
index e6ad922..57761b8 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.yml
+++ b/CHANGELOG.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ project:
   name: changelord
   homepage: https://git.babyl.ca/yanick/changelord.js
   with_stats: true
-  ticket_url: null
 releases:
   - version: NEXT
     changes:
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 049859e..5d6037a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -82,6 +82,10 @@ Outputs the latest non-NEXT release.
     $ changelord latest-version
     3.2.0
 
+### `changelord validate`
+
+Validates the changelog source against its json schema.
+
 ### `changelord git-gather`
 
 Gathers change entries from git commits. If any are found, they are
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0bf0df3..7f21b17 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
   "license": "ISC",
   "dependencies": {
     "@yanick/updeep-remeda": "^2.2.0",
+    "ajv": "^8.12.0",
     "consola": "^3.1.0",
     "fs-extra": "^11.1.1",
     "markdown-utils": "^1.0.0",
diff --git a/src/changelog-schema.js b/src/changelog-schema.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..041b4e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/changelog-schema.js
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+export default {
+  type: "object",
+  additionalProperties: false,
+  properties: {
+    change_types: {
+      items: {
+        additionalProperties: false,
+        properties: {
+          keywords: {
+            items: {
+              type: "string",
+            },
+            type: "array",
+          },
+          level: {
+            enum: ["major", "minor", "patch"],
+          },
+          title: {
+            type: "string",
+          },
+        },
+        type: "object",
+      },
+      type: "array",
+    },
+    project: {
+      additionalProperties: false,
+      properties: {
+        homepage: {
+          description: "url of the project's homepage",
+          examples: ["https://github.com/yanick/app-changelord"],
+          type: ["string", "null"],
+        },
+        name: {
+          description: "name of the project",
+          examples: ["App::Changelord"],
+          type: ["null", "string"],
+        },
+        ticket_url: {
+          description:
+            "perl code that takes a ticket string (e.g. 'GH123') via the `$_` variable and turns it into a link.",
+          examples: [
+            "s!GH(\\d+)!https://github.com/yanick/App-Changelord/issue/$1/",
+            {
+              '/^\\d+$/ ? "https://.../$_"': "undef",
+            },
+          ],
+          type: "string",
+        },
+        with_stats: {
+          description: "if true, add git statistics when bumping the version.",
+        },
+      },
+      type: "object",
+    },
+    releases: {
+      items: {
+        oneOf: [
+          {
+            type: "string",
+          },
+          {
+            additionalProperties: false,
+            properties: {
+              changes: {
+                items: {
+                  $ref: "#/$defs/change",
+                },
+                type: "array",
+              },
+              date: {
+                type: ["null", "string"],
+              },
+              version: {
+                type: ["null", "string"],
+              },
+            },
+            type: "object",
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      type: "array",
+    },
+  },
+  $defs: {
+    change: {
+      oneOf: [
+        {
+          type: "string",
+        },
+        {
+          additionalProperties: false,
+          properties: {
+            commit: {
+              type: ["string", "null"],
+            },
+            desc: {
+              type: "string",
+            },
+            ticket: {
+              type: ["string", "null"],
+            },
+            type: {
+              type: ["string", "null"],
+            },
+          },
+          required: ["desc"],
+          type: "object",
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+  },
+};
diff --git a/src/changelog-schema.yml b/src/changelog-schema.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 409587d..0000000
--- a/src/changelog-schema.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-type: object
-additionalProperties: false
-properties:
-  project:
-    type: object
-    additionalProperties: false
-    properties:
-      homepage:
-        type: [ string, 'null' ]
-        description: url of the project's homepage
-        examples:
-          - https://github.com/yanick/app-changelord
-      name:
-        type: [ 'null', string ]
-        description: name of the project
-        examples:
-          - App::Changelord
-      ticket_url:
-        type: string
-        description: perl code that takes a ticket string (e.g. 'GH123') via the `$_` variable and turns it into a link.
-        examples:
-          - s!GH(\d+)!https://github.com/yanick/App-Changelord/issue/$1/
-          - /^\d+$/ ? "https://.../$_" : undef
-      with_stats:
-        description: if true, add git statistics when bumping the version.
-  change_types:
-    type: array
-    items:
-      type: object
-      additionalProperties: false
-      properties:
-          keywords:
-            type: array
-            items: { type: string }
-          level: { enum: [ major, minor, patch ] }
-          title: { type: string }
-  releases:
-    type: array
-    items:
-      oneOf:
-        - type: string
-        - type: object
-          additionalProperties: false
-          properties:
-            version: { type: [ 'null', string ] }
-            date: { type: ['null',string] }
-            changes: { type: 'array', items: { $ref: '#/$defs/change' } }
-$defs:
-  change:
-    oneOf:
-      - type: string
-      - type: object
-        required: [ desc ]
-        additionalProperties: false
-        properties:
-          desc: { type: string }
-          ticket: { type: [ string, 'null' ] }
-          type: { type: [ string, 'null' ] }
-          commit: { type: [ string, 'null' ] }
diff --git a/src/changelord.js b/src/changelord.js
index 395af53..985addf 100755
--- a/src/changelord.js
+++ b/src/changelord.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import consola from "consola";
 import u from "@yanick/updeep-remeda";
 import { once } from "remeda";
 import simpleGit from "simple-git";
+import Ajv from "ajv";
 
 import print from "./command/print.js";
 import init from "./command/init.js";
@@ -17,7 +18,9 @@ import add from "./command/add.js";
 import cut from "./command/cut.js";
 import upcoming, { next_release } from "./command/upcoming.js";
 import latest, { latest_version } from "./command/latest-version.js";
+import validate from "./command/validate.js";
 import git_gather from "./command/git-gather.js";
+import schemaV1 from "./changelog-schema.js";
 
 consola.raw = (...args) => console.log(...args);
 
@@ -26,7 +29,18 @@ yargs(hideBin(process.argv))
     config.git = once(simpleGit);
     config.consola = consola;
     config.changelog = once(() =>
-      fs.readFile(config.source, "utf-8").then(yaml.parse)
+      fs
+        .readFile(config.source, "utf-8")
+        .then(yaml.parse)
+        .then((doc) => {
+          const ajv = new Ajv();
+          const validate = ajv.compile(schemaV1);
+          const valid = validate(doc);
+          if (valid) return doc;
+
+          config.consola.error("invalid changelog: ", validate.errors);
+          throw "changelog is invalid";
+        })
     );
     config.save_changelog = async (changelog) => {
       if (!changelog) changelog = await config.changelog();
@@ -36,7 +50,9 @@ yargs(hideBin(process.argv))
     config.latest_version = latest_version.bind(config);
     return config;
   })
-  .middleware((argv) => {
+  .middleware((argv, yargs) => {
+    argv.yargs = yargs;
+
     argv.add_to_next = async (entry) => {
       const changelog = yaml.parse(await fs.readFile(argv.source, "utf-8"));
 
@@ -70,6 +86,7 @@ yargs(hideBin(process.argv))
   })
   .command(latest)
   .command(git_gather)
+  .command(validate)
   .strictCommands()
   .help()
   .parse();
diff --git a/src/command/init.js b/src/command/init.js
index c417937..92c0af4 100644
--- a/src/command/init.js
+++ b/src/command/init.js
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ export const base_changelog = {
     name: null,
     homepage: null,
     with_stats: true,
-    ticket_url: null,
   },
   releases: [{ version: "NEXT", changes: [] }],
   change_types,
diff --git a/src/command/print.js b/src/command/print.js
index 69afd08..74be42b 100644
--- a/src/command/print.js
+++ b/src/command/print.js
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ export const render_release = (config, source) => (release) => {
 };
 
 const handler = async (config) => {
-  const source = await fs.readFile(config.source, "utf-8").then(yaml.parse);
+  const source = await config.changelog();
 
   let output = "";
 
diff --git a/src/command/schema.js b/src/command/schema.js
index e64225a..956c207 100644
--- a/src/command/schema.js
+++ b/src/command/schema.js
@@ -1,12 +1,9 @@
 import fs from "fs-extra";
+import yaml from "yaml";
+import schemaV1 from "../changelog-schema.js";
 
-const handler = async ({consola}) => {
-  consola.raw(
-    await fs.readFile(
-      new URL("../changelog-schema.yml", import.meta.url),
-      "utf-8"
-    )
-  );
+const handler = async ({ consola }) => {
+  consola.raw(yaml.stringify(schemaV1));
 };
 
 export default {
diff --git a/src/command/validate.js b/src/command/validate.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dfdf04e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/command/validate.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+const handler = async (config) => {
+  config.consola.start("validating changelog...");
+
+  try {
+    await config.changelog();
+    config.consola.success("valid!");
+  } catch (e) {
+    config.yargs.exit(1, "changelog is invalid :-(");
+  }
+};
+
+export default {
+  command: "validate",
+  desc: "validate the changelog against its json schema",
+  handler,
+};
diff --git a/src/command/validate.test.js b/src/command/validate.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b926c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/command/validate.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import { test, expect, vi } from "vitest";
+import validate from "./validate.js";
+
+test("basic", async () => {
+  const success = vi.fn();
+  const noop = () => true;
+  await validate.handler({
+    changelog: () => ({}),
+    consola: {
+      start: noop,
+      success,
+    },
+  });
+
+  expect(success).toHaveBeenCalled();
+});