diff --git a/config/rollup.js b/config/rollup.js
index 421d6f7..0233932 100644
--- a/config/rollup.js
+++ b/config/rollup.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ const bundle = {
 	external,
 	input: {
 		include: [
+			// join(rootPath, 'rules', '*.yml'),
 			join(rootPath, 'src', 'index.ts'),
 			join(rootPath, 'test', 'harness.ts'),
 			join(rootPath, 'test', '**', 'Test*.ts'),
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ const bundle = {
 			return 'index';
 		}
 
-		if (id.includes(`${sep}src${sep}`)) {
+		if (id.includes(`${sep}src${sep}`) || id.includes(`${sep}rules${sep}`)) {
 			return 'main';
 		}
 
diff --git a/docs/roadmap.md b/docs/roadmap.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ed0dc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/roadmap.md
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Roadmap
+
+## v0.9
+
+- architecture: split up main into commands
+- architecture: wire up dependency injection with noicejs
+- feature: visitor events (#21)
+- feature: improve diff messages (#133)
+- feature: interactive diffs (#9, requires #21 and #133)
+- feature: instantiate rules based on type (#113, requires #?)
+- fix: pass structured errors
+- fix: type or eliminate flash data (#137)
+
+## v1.0
+
+- fix: all the bugs
diff --git a/rules/salty-dog.yml b/rules/salty-dog.yml
index b1ea6f4..e51fb02 100644
--- a/rules/salty-dog.yml
+++ b/rules/salty-dog.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 name: salty-dog-meta
 definitions:
+  name-safe:
+    type: string
+    pattern: "[-a-z0-9]+"
+
+  name-tag:
+    type: string
+    pattern: "[-:a-z0-9]+"
+
   rule:
     type: object
     additionalProperties: false
@@ -13,8 +21,7 @@ definitions:
       - check
     properties:
       name:
-        type: string
-        pattern: "[-a-z0-9]+"
+        $ref: "salty-dog-meta#/definitions/name-safe"
       desc:
         type: string
         minLength: 8
@@ -29,8 +36,7 @@ definitions:
       tags:
         type: array
         items:
-          type: string
-          pattern: "[-:a-z0-9]+"
+          $ref: "salty-dog-meta#/definitions/name-tag"
       select:
         type: string
         default: '$'
@@ -40,6 +46,25 @@ definitions:
       check:
         $ref: "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#"
 
+  source:
+    type: object
+    required:
+      - name
+      - rules
+    properties:
+      name:
+        $ref: "salty-dog-meta#/definitions/name-safe"
+      definitions:
+        type: object
+        additionalProperties: false
+        patternProperties:
+          "[-a-z]+":
+            type: object
+      rules:
+        type: array
+        items:
+          $ref: "salty-dog-meta#/definitions/rule"
+
 rules:
   - name: salty-dog-rule
     desc: rules must be complete
@@ -60,21 +85,10 @@ rules:
       - salty-dog
 
     check:
-      type: object
-      additionalProperties: false
-      required: [name, rules]
-      properties:
-        definitions:
-          type: object
-          additionalProperties: false
-          patternProperties:
-            "[-a-z]+":
-              type: object
-        name:
-          type: string
-          pattern: "[-a-z]+"
-        rules:
-          type: array
-          minItems: 1
-          items:
-            $ref: "salty-dog-meta#/definitions/rule"
\ No newline at end of file
+      allOf:
+        - $ref: "salty-dog-meta#/definitions/source"
+        - type: object
+          properties:
+            rules:
+              type: array
+              minItems: 1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/rule/index.ts b/src/rule/index.ts
index a9c9f11..8435101 100644
--- a/src/rule/index.ts
+++ b/src/rule/index.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { Minimatch } from 'minimatch';
 import { LogLevel } from 'noicejs';
 import recursive from 'recursive-readdir';
 
+import ruleSchemaData from '../../rules/salty-dog.yml';
 import { YamlParser } from '../parser/YamlParser';
 import { readFile } from '../source';
 import { ensureArray } from '../utils';
@@ -107,6 +108,14 @@ export async function loadRuleFiles(paths: Array<string>, ctx: VisitorContext):
     const docs = parser.parse(contents) as Array<RuleSourceData>;
 
     for (const data of docs) {
+      if (!validateRules(ctx, data)) {
+        ctx.logger.error({
+          file: data,
+          path,
+        }, 'error loading rule file');
+        continue;
+      }
+
       if (!isNil(data.definitions)) {
         ctx.addSchema(data.name, data.definitions);
       }
@@ -147,7 +156,12 @@ export async function loadRuleModules(modules: Array<string>, ctx: VisitorContex
     try {
       /* eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-var-requires */
       const module: RuleSourceModule = r(name);
-      // TODO: ensure module has definitions, name, and rules
+      if (!validateRules(ctx, module)) {
+        ctx.logger.error({
+          module: name,
+        }, 'error loading rule module');
+        continue;
+      }
 
       if (!isNil(module.definitions)) {
         ctx.addSchema(module.name, module.definitions);
@@ -193,3 +207,18 @@ export async function resolveRules(rules: Array<Rule>, selector: RuleSelector):
 
   return Array.from(activeRules);
 }
+
+export function validateRules(ctx: VisitorContext, root: any): boolean {
+  const { definitions, name } = ruleSchemaData as any;
+
+  const validCtx = new VisitorContext(ctx);
+  validCtx.addSchema(name, definitions);
+  const ruleSchema = validCtx.compile(definitions.source);
+
+  if (ruleSchema(root) === true) {
+    return true;
+  } else {
+    ctx.logger.error({ errors: ruleSchema.errors }, 'error validating rules');
+    return false;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/TestApp.ts b/test/TestApp.ts
index 1e7e0a9..c783694 100644
--- a/test/TestApp.ts
+++ b/test/TestApp.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ const TEST_FILES = {
     name: test,
     rules: [{
       name: test,
-      desc: test,
+      desc: test-rule,
       level: info,
       tags: [test],
       check: {
diff --git a/test/rule/TestLoadRule.ts b/test/rule/TestLoadRule.ts
index 773cbb5..01b9b6b 100644
--- a/test/rule/TestLoadRule.ts
+++ b/test/rule/TestLoadRule.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ const EXAMPLE_RULES = `{
   definitions: {},
   rules: [{
     name: test,
+    desc: test-rule,
     level: info,
     tags: []
   }]
diff --git a/test/rule/TestRule.ts b/test/rule/TestRule.ts
index 238f66a..88c42b7 100644
--- a/test/rule/TestRule.ts
+++ b/test/rule/TestRule.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import { expect } from 'chai';
-import { LogLevel } from 'noicejs';
+import { ConsoleLogger, LogLevel, NullLogger } from 'noicejs';
 
-import { createRuleSelector, createRuleSources, resolveRules } from '../../src/rule';
+import { createRuleSelector, createRuleSources, resolveRules, validateRules } from '../../src/rule';
 import { SchemaRule } from '../../src/rule/SchemaRule';
+import { VisitorContext } from '../../src/visitor/VisitorContext';
 import { describeLeaks, itLeaks } from '../helpers/async';
 
 const TEST_RULES = [new SchemaRule({
@@ -133,3 +134,37 @@ describe('create rule selector helper', () => {
     expect(sources).to.have.deep.property('includeTag', []);
   });
 });
+
+describeLeaks('validate rule helper', async () => {
+  itLeaks('should accept valid modules', async () => {
+    const ctx = new VisitorContext({
+      logger: ConsoleLogger.global,
+      schemaOptions: {
+        coerce: false,
+        defaults: false,
+        mutate: false,
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(validateRules(ctx, {
+      name: 'test',
+      rules: [],
+    })).to.equal(true);
+  });
+
+  itLeaks('should reject partial modules', async () => {
+    const ctx = new VisitorContext({
+      logger: NullLogger.global,
+      schemaOptions: {
+        coerce: false,
+        defaults: false,
+        mutate: false,
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(validateRules(ctx, {})).to.equal(false);
+    expect(validateRules(ctx, {
+      name: '',
+    })).to.equal(false);
+  });
+});