diff --git a/Scripts/Internal/FileValidation/00_shared.wscript b/Scripts/Internal/FileValidation/00_shared.wscript
index 4723e55..4740ae4 100644
--- a/Scripts/Internal/FileValidation/00_shared.wscript
+++ b/Scripts/Internal/FileValidation/00_shared.wscript
@@ -74,10 +74,15 @@ export function stringifyPotentialCName(cnameOrString, _info = '', suppressSpace
     if (typeof cnameOrString === 'bigint') {
         return `${cnameOrString}`;
     }
-    const ret = !!cnameOrString.$value ? cnameOrString.$value : cnameOrString.value;
+    let ret = !!cnameOrString.$value ? cnameOrString.$value : cnameOrString.value;
+    
+    if (ret == '') {
+     return ret;
+    }
+    
     const info = _info ? `${_info}: '${ret}' ` : `'${ret}' `;
 
-    if (ret && ret.trim && ret.trim() !== ret) {
+    if (ret && ret.trim && ret.trim() !== ret && !!ret.trim()) {
         Logger.Error(`${info}has trailing or leading spaces! Make sure to remove them, or the component might not work!`);
     } else if (!suppressSpaceCheck && ret?.indexOf && ret.indexOf(" ") >= 0 && !PLACEHOLDER_NAME_REGEX.test(ret || '')) {
         Logger.Warning(`${info}includes spaces. Please use _ instead.`);
@@ -174,7 +179,7 @@ export function checkDepotPath(_depotPath, _info, allowEmpty = false, suppressLo
         }
         
         if (!!currentMaterialName) {
-            Logger.Info(`${info}${resolvedPath}: substitution couldn't be resolved. It may not be defined yet.`);
+            Logger.Info(`${info}${resolvedPath}: substitution couldn't be resolved. It may not be defined yet, or the file is in a different mod.`);
             return;
         }
         Logger.Warning(`${info}${resolvedPath} not found in project or game files`);        
diff --git a/Scripts/Wolvenkit_FileValidation.wscript b/Scripts/Wolvenkit_FileValidation.wscript
index f80462d..d0b6cba 100644
--- a/Scripts/Wolvenkit_FileValidation.wscript
+++ b/Scripts/Wolvenkit_FileValidation.wscript
@@ -86,12 +86,12 @@ function pushCurrentFilePath(path) {
 }
 
 function popCurrentFilePath() {
-    if (pathToParentFile === pathToCurrentFile) {
+    if (pathToParentFile === pathToCurrentFile || !pathToParentFile) {
         pathToParentFile = '';
         return;
     } 
     pathToCurrentFile = pathToParentFile;  
-    
+    pathToParentFile = '';    
 }
 
 const LOGLEVEL_INFO  = 0;
@@ -1008,7 +1008,8 @@ function entFile_appFile_validateComponent(component, _index, validateRecursivel
         }
         
         if (validateRecursively) {
-            const fileContent = wkit.LoadGameFileFromProject(componentMeshPath, 'json');
+          try {
+            const fileContent = wkit.LoadGameFileFromProject(componentMeshPath, 'json');          
             const mesh = TypeHelper.JsonParse(fileContent);
             
             meshSettings ||= {
@@ -1020,6 +1021,9 @@ function entFile_appFile_validateComponent(component, _index, validateRecursivel
             pushCurrentFilePath(componentMeshPath);
             _validateMeshFile(mesh)
             popCurrentFilePath();
+          } catch (err) {
+            Logger.Error(`Failed to load ${componentMeshPath}`);
+          }
         }
     });
 }
@@ -1526,13 +1530,13 @@ function checkMeshMaterialIndices(mesh) {
         addWarning(LOGLEVEL_WARN, "Your mesh is trying to use both externalMaterials and preloadExternalMaterials. To avoid unspecified behaviour, use only one of the lists. Material validation will abort.");
     }
 
-    if (mesh.localMaterialBuffer.materials !== null && mesh.localMaterialBuffer.materials.length > 0
+    if (!!mesh.localMaterialBuffer?.materials && mesh.localMaterialBuffer.materials.length > 0
         && mesh.preloadLocalMaterialInstances.length > 0) {
         addWarning(LOGLEVEL_WARN, "Your mesh is trying to use both localMaterialBuffer.materials and preloadLocalMaterialInstances. To avoid unspecified behaviour, use only one of the lists. Material validation will abort.");
     }
 
     let sumOfLocal = mesh.localMaterialInstances.length + mesh.preloadLocalMaterialInstances.length;
-    if (mesh.localMaterialBuffer.materials !== null) {
+    if (!!mesh.localMaterialBuffer?.materials) {
         sumOfLocal += mesh.localMaterialBuffer.materials.length;
     }
     let sumOfExternal = mesh.externalMaterials.length + mesh.preloadExternalMaterials.length;
@@ -1708,7 +1712,7 @@ function _validateMeshFile(mesh) {
         addWarning(LOGLEVEL_ERROR, `You're using dynamic materials that are not defined. This will crash your game! [ ${undefinedDynamicMaterialNames.join(", ")} ]`);
     }
 
-    if (mesh.localMaterialBuffer.materials !== null) {
+    if (!!mesh.localMaterialBuffer?.materials) {
         for (let i = 0; i < mesh.localMaterialBuffer.materials.length; i++) {
             let material = mesh.localMaterialBuffer.materials[i];
 
@@ -2291,4 +2295,18 @@ export const validateQuestphaseFile = validate_questphase_file;
 
 export const validateSceneFile = validate_scene_file;
 
-export const validateInkatlasFile = validate_inkatlas_file;
\ No newline at end of file
+export const validateInkatlasFile = validate_inkatlas_file;
+
+export function validateMlsetupFile(mlsetup, mlsetupSettings) {
+    // check if file is valid/needs to be called recursively
+    if (mlsetup?.Data?.RootChunk) return validateMlsetupFile(mlsetup.Data.RootChunk, _workspotSettings);
+    
+    if (checkIfFileIsBroken(mlsetup, 'mlsetup')) return;
+
+    let layerIdx = 0;
+    mlsetup.layers.forEach((layer) => {
+        checkDepotPath(layer.material.DepotPath, `layer_${layerIdx}.material`);        
+        checkDepotPath(layer.microblend.DepotPath, `layer_${layerIdx}.microblend`);
+        layerIdx++;
+    });
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Scripts/hook_global.wscript b/Scripts/hook_global.wscript
index 3bd0c63..1e75bc3 100644
--- a/Scripts/hook_global.wscript
+++ b/Scripts/hook_global.wscript
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import {hasUppercasePaths, isDataChangedForWriting} from "Wolvenkit_FileValidati
  * If this is set to "true" and file validation runs into any errors, then YOUR FILES WILL NO LONGER SAVE.
  * ONLY ENABLE THIS IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!
  */
-const isWolvenkitDeveloper = false;
+const isWolvenkitDeveloper = true;
 
 const README_URL = 'https://wiki.redmodding.org/wolvenkit/wolvenkit-app/file-validation';
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ globalThis.onSave = function (ext, file) {
 export function RunFileValidation(ext, file) {
 
     const fileContent = TypeHelper.JsonParse(file);
-    
+        
     // grab file name from json and inform file validation about it
     const fileName = (fileContent.Header?.ArchiveFileName || '').split('archive\\').pop() || '';
     FileValidation.setPathToCurrentFile(fileName);
@@ -60,6 +60,9 @@ export function RunFileValidation(ext, file) {
             case "morphtarget":
                 FileValidation.validateMorphtargetFile(data, Settings.Morphtarget);
                 break;
+            case "mlsetup":
+                FileValidation.validateMlsetupFile(data, {});
+                break;
             case "mi":
                 FileValidation.validateMiFile(data, Settings.Mi);
                 break;
@@ -84,6 +87,8 @@ export function RunFileValidation(ext, file) {
             case "scene":
                 FileValidation.validateSceneFile(data, Settings.GraphScene);
                 break;
+            default:
+                Logger.Info("File validation not implemented for file type " + ext);
         }
     } catch (err) {
         if (isWolvenkitDeveloper) {