diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/validate-config.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/validate-config.yaml
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+# validate-config.yaml
+# Validates all config files, scripts, and playbooks on every PR.
+# Addresses #289: repo-native validation for timmy-config changes.
+#
+# Runs: YAML lint, Python syntax check, shell lint, JSON validation,
+#       deploy script dry-run, and cron syntax verification.
+
+name: Validate Config
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main]
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  yaml-lint:
+    name: YAML Lint
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Install yamllint
+        run: pip install yamllint
+      - name: Lint YAML files
+        run: |
+          find . -name '*.yaml' -o -name '*.yml' | \
+            grep -v '.gitea/workflows' | \
+            xargs -r yamllint -d '{extends: relaxed, rules: {line-length: {max: 200}}}'
+
+  json-validate:
+    name: JSON Validate
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Validate JSON files
+        run: |
+          find . -name '*.json' -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' f; do
+            echo "Validating: $f"
+            python3 -m json.tool "$f" > /dev/null || exit 1
+          done
+
+  python-check:
+    name: Python Syntax & Import Check
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.11'
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          pip install py_compile flake8
+      - name: Compile-check all Python files
+        run: |
+          find . -name '*.py' -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' f; do
+            echo "Checking: $f"
+            python3 -m py_compile "$f" || exit 1
+          done
+      - name: Flake8 critical errors only
+        run: |
+          flake8 --select=E9,F63,F7,F82 --show-source --statistics \
+            scripts/ allegro/ cron/ || true
+
+  shell-lint:
+    name: Shell Script Lint
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Install shellcheck
+        run: sudo apt-get install -y shellcheck
+      - name: Lint shell scripts
+        run: |
+          find . -name '*.sh' -print0 | xargs -0 -r shellcheck --severity=error || true
+
+  cron-validate:
+    name: Cron Syntax Check
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Validate cron entries
+        run: |
+          if [ -d cron ]; then
+            find cron -name '*.cron' -o -name '*.crontab' | while read f; do
+              echo "Checking cron: $f"
+              # Basic syntax validation
+              while IFS= read -r line; do
+                [[ "$line" =~ ^#.*$ ]] && continue
+                [[ -z "$line" ]] && continue
+                fields=$(echo "$line" | awk '{print NF}')
+                if [ "$fields" -lt 6 ]; then
+                  echo "ERROR: Too few fields in $f: $line"
+                  exit 1
+                fi
+              done < "$f"
+            done
+          fi
+
+  deploy-dry-run:
+    name: Deploy Script Dry Run
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Syntax-check deploy.sh
+        run: |
+          if [ -f deploy.sh ]; then
+            bash -n deploy.sh
+            echo "deploy.sh syntax OK"
+          fi
+
+  playbook-schema:
+    name: Playbook Schema Validation
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Validate playbook structure
+        run: |
+          python3 -c "
+import yaml, sys, glob
+required_keys = {'name', 'description'}
+for f in glob.glob('playbooks/*.yaml'):
+    with open(f) as fh:
+        try:
+            data = yaml.safe_load(fh)
+            if not isinstance(data, dict):
+                print(f'ERROR: {f} is not a YAML mapping')
+                sys.exit(1)
+            missing = required_keys - set(data.keys())
+            if missing:
+                print(f'WARNING: {f} missing keys: {missing}')
+            print(f'OK: {f}')
+        except yaml.YAMLError as e:
+            print(f'ERROR: {f}: {e}')
+            sys.exit(1)
+"
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