diff --git a/config/clients.config.json b/config/clients.config.json
index 30adc378ade..626a2cba06b 100644
--- a/config/clients.config.json
+++ b/config/clients.config.json
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {
+  "$schema": "./clients.schema.json",
   "csharp": {
     "clients": [
       "abtesting",
diff --git a/config/clients.schema.json b/config/clients.schema.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..43b7c167c58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/clients.schema.json
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "type": "object",
+  "additionalProperties": {
+    "type": "object",
+    "properties": {
+      "clients": {
+        "oneOf": [
+          {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string",
+              "enum": [
+                "abtesting",
+                "analytics",
+                "composition",
+                "ingestion",
+                "insights",
+                "monitoring",
+                "personalization",
+                "query-suggestions",
+                "recommend",
+                "search"
+              ]
+            }
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": {
+              "type": "object",
+              "properties": {
+                "name": {
+                  "type": "string",
+                  "enum": [
+                    "algoliasearch",
+                    "abtesting",
+                    "analytics",
+                    "composition",
+                    "composition-full",
+                    "ingestion",
+                    "insights",
+                    "monitoring",
+                    "personalization",
+                    "query-suggestions",
+                    "recommend",
+                    "search"
+                  ]
+                },
+                "output": { "type": "string" }
+              },
+              "required": ["name", "output"],
+              "additionalProperties": false
+            }
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      "folder": { "type": "string", "description": "the output folder of your client, usually matching the github repository name, e.g. clients/algoliasearch-client-dart" },
+      "gitRepoId": { "type": "string", "description": "the github repository name, without the organization or username that owns it, e.g. algoliasearch-client-php"},
+      "packageVersion": { "type": "string", "description": "the version to publish the packages with, it must be semver compatible, e.g. 1.2.3" },
+      "modelFolder": { "type": "string", "description": "the models folder, e.g. algoliasearch/models"},
+      "apiFolder": { "type": "string", "description": "the api folder, e.g. lib/src"},
+      "dockerImage": { 
+        "type": "string",
+        "description": "whether your client requires a custom docker image with specific needs, most clients require 'apic_base'",
+        "enum": [
+          "apic_base",
+          "apic_ruby",
+          "apic_swift"
+        ]
+      },
+      "tests": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+          "extension": { "type": "string", "description": "the test file extension, e.g. .test.ts" },
+          "outputFolder": { "type": "string", "description": "the test output folder, e.g. src/generated" }
+        },
+        "required": ["extension", "outputFolder"],
+        "additionalProperties": false
+      },
+      "snippets": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+          "extension": { "type": "string", "description": "the snippet file extension, e.g. .cs" },
+          "outputFolder": { "type": "string", "description": "the snippet output folder, e.g. src" }
+        },
+        "required": ["extension", "outputFolder"],
+        "additionalProperties": false
+      },
+      "supportedVersions": {
+        "type": "array",
+        "description": "hints the CI on what matrix to generate for this client, this must be language specific versions, e.g. versions of node",
+        "items": { "type": "string" }
+      }
+    },
+    "required": ["clients", "folder", "gitRepoId", "packageVersion", "modelFolder", "apiFolder", "tests", "snippets"],
+    "additionalProperties": false
+  }
+}
diff --git a/scripts/common.ts b/scripts/common.ts
index 3d0288b7142..dafa85eec44 100644
--- a/scripts/common.ts
+++ b/scripts/common.ts
@@ -30,9 +30,13 @@ export const ROOT_DIR = path.resolve(process.cwd(), '..');
 
 // Build `GENERATORS` from the `clients.config.json` file
 export const GENERATORS = Object.entries(clientsConfig).reduce(
-  (current, [language, { clients, folder, ...gen }]) => {
-    for (const client of clients) {
-      let output = folder;
+  (current, [language, opts]) => {
+    if (typeof opts === 'string') {
+      return current;
+    }
+
+    for (const client of opts.clients) {
+      let output = opts.folder;
       let key = '';
       let clientName = '';
 
@@ -47,7 +51,7 @@ export const GENERATORS = Object.entries(clientsConfig).reduce(
 
       current[key] = {
         additionalProperties: {},
-        ...gen,
+        ...opts,
         output,
         client: clientName,
         language: language as Language,
diff --git a/scripts/config.ts b/scripts/config.ts
index 9bbdc4a6af4..6d87518f70f 100644
--- a/scripts/config.ts
+++ b/scripts/config.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ export function getClientsConfigField(
   pathToField: string[] | string,
   required: boolean = true,
 ): any {
+  if (typeof clientsConfig[language] !== 'object') {
+    throw new Error(`${language} doesn't exist in clients.config.json`);
+  }
+
   const config: LanguageConfig = clientsConfig[language];
   const path = Array.isArray(pathToField) ? pathToField : [pathToField];
 
@@ -42,11 +46,11 @@ export function getTestOutputFolder(language: Language): string {
 }
 
 export function getDockerImage(language?: Language): string | undefined {
-  if (CI || !language || !('dockerImage' in clientsConfig[language])) {
+  if (CI || !language) {
     return undefined;
   }
 
-  return getClientsConfigField(language, 'dockerImage');
+  return getClientsConfigField(language, 'dockerImage', false);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -57,7 +61,7 @@ export function getPackageVersionDefault(language: Language): string {
 }
 
 export function getGitHubUrl(language: Language, options?: { token: string }): string {
-  const { gitRepoId } = clientsConfig[language];
+  const gitRepoId = getClientsConfigField(language, ['gitRepoId']);
 
   // GitHub Action provides a default token for authentication
   // https://docs.github.com/en/actions/security-guides/automatic-token-authentication
diff --git a/scripts/husky/pre-commit.mjs b/scripts/husky/pre-commit.mjs
index e8d0d993532..02036ed3687 100755
--- a/scripts/husky/pre-commit.mjs
+++ b/scripts/husky/pre-commit.mjs
@@ -18,11 +18,14 @@ async function run(command) {
 
 export function getPatterns() {
   const entries = patterns;
-  for (const [language, { tests }] of Object.entries(clientConfig)) {
-    entries.unshift(`tests/output/${language}/${tests.outputFolder}/client/**`);
-    entries.unshift(`tests/output/${language}/${tests.outputFolder}/requests/**`);
-    entries.unshift(`tests/output/${language}/${tests.outputFolder}/e2e/**`);
-    entries.unshift(`tests/output/${language}/${tests.outputFolder}/benchmark/**`);
+  for (const [language, opts] of Object.entries(clientConfig)) {
+    if (typeof opts !== 'object') {
+      continue;
+    }
+    entries.unshift(`tests/output/${language}/${opts.tests.outputFolder}/client/**`);
+    entries.unshift(`tests/output/${language}/${opts.tests.outputFolder}/requests/**`);
+    entries.unshift(`tests/output/${language}/${opts.tests.outputFolder}/e2e/**`);
+    entries.unshift(`tests/output/${language}/${opts.tests.outputFolder}/benchmark/**`);
   }
   return entries;
 }
diff --git a/scripts/release/updateAPIVersions.ts b/scripts/release/updateAPIVersions.ts
index 4941ab4f118..2f619efc2c6 100755
--- a/scripts/release/updateAPIVersions.ts
+++ b/scripts/release/updateAPIVersions.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import type { Changelog, Versions } from './types.ts';
 async function updateConfigFiles(versionsToRelease: Versions): Promise<void> {
   // update the other versions in clients.config.json
   for (const lang of Object.keys(versionsToRelease) as Language[]) {
-    if (versionsToRelease[lang]?.next) {
+    if (typeof clientsConfig[lang] == 'object' && versionsToRelease[lang]?.next) {
       clientsConfig[lang].packageVersion = versionsToRelease[lang].next;
     }
   }