diff --git a/.github/workflows/image-workflow-template.yml b/.github/workflows/image-workflow-template.yml
index 0a23e8ac..1a307700 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/image-workflow-template.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/image-workflow-template.yml
@@ -8,6 +8,16 @@ on:
 env:
   LANG: en_US.UTF-8
 jobs:
+  validateYAML:
+    name: Validate YAML and JSON files touched by commit
+    timeout-minutes: 60
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Find YAML and JSON files and verify their syntax
+        run: ./tools/lint.sh
   openjdkci:
     name: OpenJDK S2I Build and Test
     timeout-minutes: 60
diff --git a/templates/image-streams.json b/templates/image-streams.json
index 840f11e0..83b3cd27 100644
--- a/templates/image-streams.json
+++ b/templates/image-streams.json
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@
                 "labels": {
                     "xpaas": "1.4.17"
                 }
+
+
+                deliberately broken file
+
             },
             "spec": {
                 "tags": [
diff --git a/tools/lint.sh b/tools/lint.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..6e5bb7a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+ret=0
+
+# XXX this will only work for one commit PRs. Need to diff against the
+# merge base. Note also GHA checkout@v4 will only fetch the top-most
+# commit by default!
+git diff-tree --no-commit-id --name-only HEAD -r |\
+while read f; do
+  case "${f##*.}" in
+    yaml)
+        # XXX we could use yamllint but it's too noisy for now
+        yq < "$f" >/dev/null || {
+            echo "$f is not valid YAML"
+            ret=1
+        }
+        ;;
+    json)
+        jq < "$f" >/dev/null || {
+            echo "$f is not valid JSON";
+            ret=1
+        }
+        ;;
+  esac
+done
+exit $ret
diff --git a/ubi9-openjdk-17.yaml b/ubi9-openjdk-17.yaml
index f75306af..f1f66249 100644
--- a/ubi9-openjdk-17.yaml
+++ b/ubi9-openjdk-17.yaml
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ labels:
   value: "openjdk-17-ubi9-container"
 - name: "usage"
   value: &docs "https://jboss-container-images.github.io/openjdk/"
+
+
+
+        deliberately broken yaml file
+
 - name: "com.redhat.license_terms"
   value: "https://www.redhat.com/en/about/red-hat-end-user-license-agreements#UBI"
 - name: "org.opencontainers.image.documentation"