Frequently Asked Questions¶
Quick answers to common questions. For detailed information, follow the links to the full documentation. Some features are available only on certain editions — see Self-Hosted Editions for details.
Access and Accounts¶
How do I join an organization?
You need an invitation from someone with Admin or Owner access. They'll send you an email invitation with a link to join. If you don't have a Validibot account yet, you'll create one during the signup process. See Collaboration and Access for details.
Can I belong to multiple organizations?
Yes. Many users belong to several organizations. Use the organization switcher in the header to move between them. Each organization has its own workflows, projects, and member list.
How do I create a new organization?
If your edition and instance policy allow multiple organizations, use the organization switcher and click "Create Organization." Your self-hosting administrator may restrict organization creation.
What's the difference between Owner and Admin?
Both can manage members and workflows, but only Owners can delete the organization or transfer ownership. Organizations can have multiple Owners and Admins. See the role comparison table for full details.
Does Validibot support SSO?
Enterprise deployments can integrate with SAML identity providers for single sign-on. LDAP integration is also planned. Contact us at enterprise@mcquilleninteractive.com or see the Enterprise edition documentation for details.
Workflows and Validation¶
What file types does Validibot support?
Common formats include JSON, XML, YAML, CSV, and plain text. The specific formats available depend on what validators are installed and what each workflow is configured to accept. See Running Validations for details.
Why can't I launch my workflow?
The most common reasons:
- Workflow is inactive: An Author or Admin needs to activate it
- No steps configured: The workflow needs at least one validation step
- Insufficient permissions: You need Executor role or higher
How do I add custom validation rules?
Workflow Authors can add CEL-based assertions to individual steps. For completely custom logic, you can create a custom validator. See Workflow Management for details on step assertions.
What's the difference between a workflow being inactive and archived?
- Inactive: The workflow exists and is visible, but won't accept new runs. Use this while editing or temporarily disabling a workflow.
- Archived: The workflow is hidden from the default list, won't accept runs, but all historical data is preserved. Use this for workflows you no longer need but want to keep for audit purposes.
Running Validations¶
Why did my validation fail?
Check the run's findings section. ERROR-level findings indicate what didn't pass. The message and path fields tell you what was wrong and where. See Reviewing Results for guidance on interpreting findings.
Can I retry a failed validation?
Yes. From the run detail page, click "Rerun" to validate the same submission again. This is useful after you've fixed workflow rules or want to confirm the data hasn't changed.
How long do validations take?
Simple validations (schema checks) typically complete in seconds. Advanced validators or FMU simulation can take longer depending on the complexity of your data. The UI may show live progress while runs execute if the workflow's validators support that feature.
What happens if I submit the wrong file?
If the run is still in progress, you can cancel it from the run detail page. Otherwise, let it complete — the results will show that validation failed, but there's no harm done. You can then run a new validation with the correct file.
API Integration¶
Where do I find my API token?
Log into Validibot, click your avatar, and go to Settings or Profile. Look for "API Tokens" or "Access Tokens." You can create new tokens there and copy them for use in your applications.
Where do I find a workflow's ID or slug?
- In the UI: Open the workflow and look at the URL — the slug is the last part (e.g.,
/workflows/my-workflow-slug) - In the API: Call
GET /api/v1/orgs/{org_slug}/workflows/to list all workflows with their IDs and slugs
Should I use the workflow ID or slug in API calls?
Slugs are recommended because they're human-readable and stable. IDs work too, but they're less meaningful. Both are accepted wherever workflow_identifier is required.
How do I monitor long-running validations?
Submit the run, receive a 202 Accepted response, then poll the run detail endpoint until the status is completed, error, or failed.
What's the API rate limit?
Limits are configurable by your instance administrator. If the API returns
429 Too Many Requests, honour Retry-After and use bounded exponential
backoff.
Can I connect Claude or other AI assistants to Validibot?
Yes. Self-hosted Pro and Enterprise deployments can enable a Model Context Protocol server for compatible clients such as Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, Continue, and Zed. The instance operator provides the MCP URL. OAuth 2.1 and, when the operator permits it, bearer-token access are supported. See AI agent integration (MCP) for setup.
Does MCP cost extra?
MCP is included with the self-hosted Pro and Enterprise editions. There is no per-run Validibot fee; runs use your own deployment's compute and storage.
Data and Privacy¶
How long is submitted data retained?
By default, both submitted input and detailed validation output have no post-processing retention. When a validation succeeds, fails, is cancelled, or times out, deletion is queued and frequent cleanup workers normally remove the transient data within five minutes. Workflow authors can explicitly keep input for 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, or permanently, and output for 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, or permanently.
The input and output settings are independent. Purging input does not delete an output whose chosen review window is still open.
Can I delete a submission?
Submitted content is purged automatically based on the workflow's retention policy. A minimal audit record remains: identifiers, hash, size/type facts, terminal status/timing, aggregate counts, and deletion timestamps. Submitter-provided names, filenames, arbitrary metadata, findings, artifacts, detailed errors, step values, and evidence files do not remain after their applicable stream is purged.
Is my data encrypted?
Encryption depends on your self-hosted deployment's storage, database, backup, and TLS configuration. Ask your administrator or review the self-hosting security documentation for the controls enabled on your instance.
Who can see my validation results?
Only members of your organization can see detailed results. Access is controlled by roles — Viewers can see results, Executors can run validations, etc. See Collaboration for the full permission model.
Editions and Licensing¶
What editions are available?
- Community (self-hosted, free): Open-source with all core validation features
- Pro (self-hosted, $195/month): Up to 3 users, commercial license, team management, guest access, Verifiable Credentials, MCP server, and priority email support
- Enterprise (self-hosted, contact us): Everything in Pro plus dedicated account manager, SSO/SAML integration, multi-org management, unlimited users, and custom onboarding
See Self-Hosted Editions for details.
How do I upgrade to Pro?
Visit validibot.com/pricing to purchase a Pro license. You do not need to create an account before checkout. After purchase, the license-ready email directs you to create and verify an account with the checkout email. Generate the package API key once in the authenticated dashboard; Validibot never emails the key. See Self-Hosted Editions for setup instructions.
What happens when my Pro license expires?
You can continue using the installed version, but you won't be able to download updates or reinstall. Renew your license to restore full access.
Can I upgrade a Community installation to Pro?
Yes. Pro installs as a commercial package on top of the same self-hosted application. Your existing users, workflows, and runs remain in place. Follow the Pro setup guide.
Getting More Help¶
Where can I report a bug?
- Community edition: GitHub Issues
- Pro and Enterprise: Email support (included with your license)
Is there a community forum or chat?
Check the project's GitHub Discussions for community Q&A.
Where can I request a new feature?
Open an issue on GitHub describing your use case and the feature you'd like. Requests from commercial self-hosting customers receive priority consideration.