Netbox validation

NetBox Validation

NetBox Validation continuously validates infrastructure data against declarative policies using three engines — intent (NetBox data), config analysis (rendered configurations), and graph analysis (infrastructure dependencies). It produces per-device results, aggregated findings, and compliance scores.

Your knowledge of NetBox Validation may be outdated. Check names, API fields, policy pack contents, and engine capabilities evolve between releases. Prefer retrieval over pre-trained knowledge.

Retrieval Sources

Source	URL / Method	Use for
Validation docs	https://netboxlabs.com/docs/extensions/validation/	Full reference, engines, check catalog
Validation REST API	https://netboxlabs.com/docs/extensions/validation/rest-api/	Endpoint details
NetBox Platform MCP	If configured — 5 validation tools	Run validation, query compliance, manage policies
NetBox MCP server	If configured — read-only access	Verify devices, policies, scores

FIRST: Verify Connectivity

Confirm the Validation plugin is installed and your token has access:

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN" \
  "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/policies/" | python -m json.tool

You should see a paginated list of policies (or empty results). If you get 404, the Validation plugin is not installed. If 403, your token lacks validation permissions.

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Core Concepts

Object Hierarchy

Policy (scope + rules + triggers)
  -> Run (execution of a policy against devices)
    -> Results (per-device, per-check pass/fail)
      -> Findings (aggregated failures, actionable items)
        -> Compliance Scores (per-device, per-policy, 0-100%)

Policy

A Validation Policy defines what to check and where. Scope filters: sites, regions, site groups, device roles, platforms, tags. Contains rules and controls engine toggles, triggers, and cron schedule.

Rules

Each rule specifies:

Field	Description
engine	intent, config, or graph
category	Check grouping (addressing, redundancy, topology, etc.)
check_name	Specific check to run (e.g., no_duplicate_ips)
severity	critical, high, medium, low, or info
parameters	Check-specific config (thresholds, patterns, expected values)

Rules can optionally override the policy scope with their own roles and platforms filters.

Three Engines

Engine	Checks	Evaluates	Data Source	Key Strength
Intent	42	NetBox data relationships	NetBox ORM	Fast, no external dependencies
Config	35	Rendered device configurations	Config analysis engine	Structural analysis, reachability
Graph	16	Infrastructure dependency graph	NetBox ORM	Blast radius, failure domains

All three can coexist in a single policy. Config and graph engines are available to Premium tier customers.

Run Statuses

Status	Meaning
pending	Created, waiting for execution
running	Checks are executing
passed	All checks passed
failed	One or more checks failed
error	Engine error during execution

Result Statuses

Each per-device, per-check result: pass, fail, skip, warning, or error.

Finding Lifecycle

open -> acknowledged -> resolved
                    \-> suppressed

Status	When to use
open	New, needs review
acknowledged	Reviewed, remediation planned
resolved	Fixed and confirmed by passing run
suppressed	Intentional exception, risk accepted

Compliance Score

score = passed / (passed + failed + error) x 100

Skipped checks excluded. Scores are per (device, policy, run) and tracked over time.

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Quick Reference — Common Workflows

Create and Execute a Run

Creating a run does NOT execute it. Two-step process:

# Step 1: Create the run
RUN=$(curl -s -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/runs/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"policy": 1, "trigger": "manual"}')

RUN_ID=$(echo $RUN | python -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['id'])")

# Step 2: Execute it (synchronous — returns when complete)
curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/runs/$RUN_ID/execute/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

The execute endpoint is synchronous — it returns results when the run completes. Do not poll.

Install a Policy Pack

# List available packs
curl "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/policy-packs/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

# Install a pack (creates policy + all rules)
curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/policy-packs/addressing-ipam/install/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

Query Compliance Scores

# Fleet-wide latest scores
curl "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/compliance/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

# Scores for a specific device, newest first
curl "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/compliance/?device_id=10&ordering=-measured_at" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

# Scores for a specific policy
curl "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/compliance/?policy_id=1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

Filter Findings

# Open critical findings
curl "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/findings/?status=open&severity=critical" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

# Acknowledge a finding
curl -X PATCH "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/findings/42/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"status": "acknowledged"}'

Run Against a Branch

curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/runs/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"policy": 1, "trigger": "manual", "branch_id": 5}'

The validation engines read rules from main and execute checks in branch context, seeing branch-overlay data.

Targeted Run (Narrow Scope)

# Target specific site(s)
curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/runs/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"policy": 1, "trigger": "api", "target_sites": [9]}'

# Validate a single device across all matching policies
curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/runs/validate-device/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"device": 101}'

YAML Import/Export

# Export a single policy
curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/policies/1/export/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

# Import a policy from YAML
curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/policies/import/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @my-policy.yaml

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Policy Management

Policy Scoping

Policies scope devices via any combination of:

Scope Field	Effect
Sites	Only devices at these sites
Regions	Only devices at sites in these regions
Site Groups	Only devices at sites in these groups
Device Roles	Only devices with these roles
Platforms	Only devices on these platforms
Tags	Only devices with these tags

Scope fields are AND-combined. An empty scope means all active devices.

Engine Toggles

Policy Field	Default	Effect
enable_config_engine	false	Enable config analysis checks for this policy
enable_graph_engine	false	Enable graph resilience checks for this policy

Intent checks always run. Config and graph checks require their engine to be enabled on the policy AND available at the deployment level.

Policy Packs

Pre-built policy packs provide one-click installation:

• 14 starter packs — addressing, cabling, data quality, naming, redundancy, security, leaf/spine baselines, config analysis, pre-change, BGP attributes, power/network/full resilience
• 9 compliance frameworks — CLOS Fabric, TIA-942, NIS2/DORA, NIST 800-53, NERC CIP, PCI-DSS, MANRS, ISO 27001, HIPAA Security Rule (2026)

Installed packs create regular policies and rules. After installation, customize scope, parameters, triggers, and schedule. See references/policy-packs.md.

Clone and Import

# Clone a policy (copies all rules and scoping)
curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/policies/1/clone/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN"

# Import from YAML
curl -X POST "$NETBOX_URL/api/plugins/validation/policies/import/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NETBOX_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @my-policy.yaml

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Validation Triggers

Manual

Create a run via API or click "Run Now" in the UI. Two-step: create run, then execute.

Branch Merge

Set trigger_on_branch_merge: true on the policy. Validation runs automatically when a NetBox Branching branch is merged to main. Catches regressions in the merged data.

Change Request Submit

Set trigger_on_cr_submit: true on the policy. Validation runs when a NetBox Changes change request is submitted for review. The run targets the CR's branch, providing pre-merge safety.

Scheduled

Set a cron expression on the policy's schedule field:

Expression	Meaning
0 2 * * *	Daily at 2:00 AM
0 */6 * * *	Every 6 hours
0 0 * * 0	Weekly on Sunday at midnight

Scheduled runs target main (no branch context).

Run Scoping

All runs support optional target narrowing:

Field	Type	Effect
target_sites	List of site IDs	Only devices at these sites
target_devices	List of device IDs	Only these specific devices
target_tags	List of tag slugs	Only devices with these tags

Target fields AND-combine with the policy scope. They can only narrow, never widen.

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Compliance and Findings

Score Calculation

score = passed / (passed + failed + error) x 100

Skipped checks excluded. Scores enable trend tracking, audit reporting, change request gating, and executive dashboards.

Score Dimensions

Compliance scores can be queried by:

• Device — per-device compliance across policies
• Policy — per-policy compliance across devices
• Time — trend over 7d/30d/90d via the compliance dashboard

Finding Aggregation

Findings group related failures into actionable items. For example, if no_duplicate_ips fails for 5 devices, one finding groups all 5. Graph engine findings group by failure point (one finding per power feed or shared failure domain).

Severity Escalation

Graph engine findings automatically escalate severity based on blast radius:

Unprotected Devices	Escalation
1--2	No change
3--5	medium -> high
6--10	high -> critical
10+	Always critical

Finding Triage

1. Filter findings by severity (critical first)
2. Review detail: affected devices, expected vs. actual, remediation
3. For graph findings, check blast radius card
4. Acknowledge findings you plan to fix
5. Fix the underlying issue in NetBox
6. Re-run validation to confirm
7. Mark finding as resolved

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Integration Patterns

Pre-Change Validation Pipeline

1. Create Branch          (netbox-branching)
2. Make changes           (normal NetBox API with X-NetBox-Branch header)
3. Submit Change Request  (netbox-changes) -> validation auto-runs
4. Review validation results
5. Approve CR, merge branch
6. Post-merge validation auto-runs (optional)

Set trigger_on_cr_submit: true for pre-merge safety. Set trigger_on_branch_merge: true for post-merge verification.

Branch Context

When running validation against a branch, pass branch_id on the run. The engines read rules from main and execute checks in branch context (seeing proposed additions, modifications, deletions).

Config analysis renders configs from both main and branch for differential analysis (lost reachability, broken BGP sessions, routing regressions).

Agentic Integration via MCP

The NetBox Labs Platform MCP Server provides 5 validation tools:

Tool	Purpose
run_validation	Create + execute a run for a policy, optionally targeting a branch or devices
get_compliance_analytics	Compliance scores, trends, score-by-dimension
get_findings_analytics	Findings filtered by severity, status, category, policy
import_validation_policy	Import policy from YAML
clone_validation_policy	Clone policy with all rules and scoping

Agents that prefer direct API access can use the REST endpoints with bearer token authentication.

Agentic Workflow Pattern

Agent creates branch -> makes changes -> runs validation
  Pass -> creates change request for human review
  Fail -> reads findings, self-corrects, re-validates

Validation provides the automated safety net ensuring agents operate within the same policy framework as human engineers.

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Anti-Patterns

Mistake	Why It Fails	Do This Instead
Create a run and assume it executes	Creating a run sets status to pending	POST to /runs/{id}/execute/ after creation
Omit trigger field when creating runs	trigger is required	Set trigger to "manual", "api", or "schedule"
Use branch integer ID for branch validation	branch_id on run creation expects the branch's integer ID, but X-NetBox-Branch header uses schema_id	Use the correct identifier for each context
Install config/graph packs without enabling engine	Config/graph rules produce skip results	Set enable_config_engine / enable_graph_engine on the policy
Expect target scoping to widen policy scope	Target fields AND-combine with policy scope	Targets can only narrow — devices outside policy scope are excluded
Poll for run completion after execute	Execute is synchronous — returns when done	Read the response directly; no polling needed
Run graph checks with device targeting expecting savings	Graph engine loads all site devices regardless	Use site-scoped runs for graph-heavy policies

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API Endpoints Summary

Endpoint	Methods	Purpose
/policies/	GET, POST	List and create policies
/policies/{id}/	GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE	Manage a policy
/policies/{id}/clone/	POST	Clone with all rules and scoping
/policies/{id}/export/	POST	Export as YAML
/policies/import/	POST	Import from YAML
/policies/export-all/	POST	Export all policies
/policies/{id}/run-for-site/	POST	Targeted run for site(s)
/policies/{id}/run-for-devices/	POST	Targeted run for device(s)
/rules/	GET, POST	List and create rules
/rules/{id}/	GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE	Manage a rule
/runs/	GET, POST	List and create runs
/runs/{id}/	GET	Run status and summary
/runs/{id}/execute/	POST	Execute a pending run
/runs/validate-device/	POST	Run all matching policies for a device
/results/	GET	Results (filter by run, device, status)
/findings/	GET, POST	Findings (filter by run, severity, status)
/findings/{id}/	GET, PUT, PATCH	Update finding status
/compliance/	GET	Compliance scores (filter by device, policy)
/policy-packs/	GET	List available policy packs
/policy-packs/{slug}/	GET	Pack details with rule list
/policy-packs/{slug}/install/	POST	Install a pack
/policy-packs/{slug}/uninstall/	POST	Uninstall a pack

All endpoints under /api/plugins/validation/.

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References

Reference	When to Load
references/api-patterns.md	Need full API examples for policy/run/result lifecycle
references/check-reference.md	Need check names, parameters, or engine details
references/policy-packs.md	Need pack catalog, install/customize guidance, framework details