diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a8f9cb4d..a78a0f80 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # v0.3.2
 
+FEATURE: `zrok controller validate` and `zrok access public validate` will both perform a quick syntax validation on controller and public frontend configuration documents (https://github.com/openziti/zrok/issues/238)
+
+	$ zrok controller validate etc/dev.yml 
+	[ERROR]: controller config validation failed (error loading controller config 'etc/dev.yml': field 'maintenance': field 'registration': field 'expiration_timeout': got [bool], expected [time.Duration])
+
 CHANGE: `zrok status` no longer shows secrets (secret token, ziti identity) unless the `--secrets` flag is passed (https://github.com/openziti/zrok/issues/243)
 
 # v0.3.1
diff --git a/cmd/zrok/accessPublic.go b/cmd/zrok/accessPublic.go
index f3353929..a05743f6 100644
--- a/cmd/zrok/accessPublic.go
+++ b/cmd/zrok/accessPublic.go
@@ -9,8 +9,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
 
+var accessPublicCmd *accessPublicCommand
+
 func init() {
-	accessCmd.AddCommand(newAccessPublicCommand().cmd)
+	accessPublicCmd = newAccessPublicCommand()
+	accessCmd.AddCommand(accessPublicCmd.cmd)
 }
 
 type accessPublicCommand struct {
@@ -29,7 +32,7 @@ func newAccessPublicCommand() *accessPublicCommand {
 	return command
 }
 
-func (self *accessPublicCommand) run(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) {
+func (cmd *accessPublicCommand) run(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 	cfg := publicFrontend.DefaultConfig()
 	if len(args) == 1 {
 		if err := cfg.Load(args[0]); err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/zrok/accessPublicValidate.go b/cmd/zrok/accessPublicValidate.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a7de00d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/zrok/accessPublicValidate.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"github.com/michaelquigley/cf"
+	"github.com/openziti/zrok/endpoints/publicFrontend"
+	"github.com/openziti/zrok/tui"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	accessPublicCmd.cmd.AddCommand(newAccessPublicValidateCommand().cmd)
+}
+
+type accessPublicValidateCommand struct {
+	cmd *cobra.Command
+}
+
+func newAccessPublicValidateCommand() *accessPublicValidateCommand {
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "validate <configPath>",
+		Short: "Validate a zrok access public configuration document",
+		Args:  cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+	}
+	command := &accessPublicValidateCommand{cmd: cmd}
+	cmd.Run = command.run
+	return command
+}
+
+func (cmd *accessPublicValidateCommand) run(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) {
+	cfg := publicFrontend.DefaultConfig()
+	if err := cfg.Load(args[0]); err != nil {
+		tui.Error(fmt.Sprintf("unable to load configuration '%v'", args[0]), err)
+	}
+	logrus.Infof(cf.Dump(cfg, cf.DefaultOptions()))
+}
diff --git a/cmd/zrok/controller.go b/cmd/zrok/controller.go
index cf62688d..6e498797 100644
--- a/cmd/zrok/controller.go
+++ b/cmd/zrok/controller.go
@@ -7,8 +7,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
 
+var controllerCmd *controllerCommand
+
 func init() {
-	rootCmd.AddCommand(newControllerCommand().cmd)
+	controllerCmd = newControllerCommand()
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(controllerCmd.cmd)
 }
 
 type controllerCommand struct {
diff --git a/cmd/zrok/controllerValidate.go b/cmd/zrok/controllerValidate.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a09d106f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/zrok/controllerValidate.go
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"github.com/michaelquigley/cf"
+	"github.com/openziti/zrok/controller"
+	"github.com/openziti/zrok/tui"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	controllerCmd.cmd.AddCommand(newControllerValidateCommand().cmd)
+}
+
+type controllerValidateCommand struct {
+	cmd *cobra.Command
+}
+
+func newControllerValidateCommand() *controllerValidateCommand {
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "validate <configPath>",
+		Short: "Validate a zrok controller configuration document",
+		Args:  cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+	}
+	command := &controllerValidateCommand{cmd: cmd}
+	cmd.Run = command.run
+	return command
+}
+
+func (cmd *controllerValidateCommand) run(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) {
+	cfg, err := controller.LoadConfig(args[0])
+	if err != nil {
+		tui.Error("controller config validation failed", err)
+	}
+	logrus.Infof(cf.Dump(cfg, cf.DefaultOptions()))
+}