---
title: "axiom flow validate"
description: "Validate a flow.yaml's structure (local checks)"
category: reference
surfaces: [cli]
related: [reference/cli/axiom-flow]
last_reviewed: 2026-06-06
---

<!-- GENERATED by docs/scripts/gen-cli-reference — DO NOT EDIT.
     Source of truth: the cobra command definitions in cmd/axiom/cmd/.
     Regenerate from the repo root with: go run ./docs/scripts/gen-cli-reference -->

# axiom flow validate

Validate a flow.yaml's structure (local checks)

Run local structural validation on a flow.yaml: required fields, unique node
aliases, well-formed package references, edges that reference known nodes, and
well-formed pins. Node existence and edge type-compatibility are checked at
compile time against the registry. Defaults to ./flow.yaml.

## Usage

```sh
axiom flow validate [flow.yaml] [flags]
```

## Flags

| Flag | Shorthand | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `--help` | `-h` | bool |  | help for validate |
| `--json` |  | bool |  | Emit structured JSON instead of human-readable output |

## See also

- [axiom flow](./axiom-flow.md) — Author and compile flows (graphs of published nodes)