diff --git a/lambda/compiler.rb b/lambda/compiler.rb
index 1dba233afac..9e9b8848552 100644
--- a/lambda/compiler.rb
+++ b/lambda/compiler.rb
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 # frozen_string_literal: true
 
 require 'tmpdir'
-require 'json'
 require 'base64'
+require 'json'
+require 'open3'
+require 'yaml'
 
 class Compiler
   class CompileError < RuntimeError
@@ -33,6 +35,7 @@ def compile_board(board, keymap_data:, kconfig_data:, include_static_rhs: false)
       compile_command = ['compileZmk', '-b', board]
 
       if keymap_data
+        validate_devicetree!(keymap_data)
         File.open('build.keymap', 'w') { |io| io.write(keymap_data) }
         compile_command << '-k' << './build.keymap'
       end
@@ -70,6 +73,36 @@ def compile_board(board, keymap_data:, kconfig_data:, include_static_rhs: false)
     end
   end
 
+  PERMITTED_DTS_SECTIONS = %w[
+    behaviors macros combos conditional_layers keymap underglow-indicators
+  ].freeze
+
+  def validate_devicetree!(dtsi)
+    dts = "/dts-v1/;\n" + dtsi
+
+    stdout, stderr, status =
+      Open3.capture3({}, 'dts2yml', unsetenv_others: true, stdin_data: dts)
+
+    unless status.success?
+      raise CompileError.new('Syntax error checking device-tree input', log: stderr.split("\n"))
+    end
+
+    data =
+      begin
+        YAML.safe_load(stdout)
+      rescue Psych::Exception => e
+        raise CompileError.new('Error parsing translated device-tree', status: 500, log: [e.message])
+      end
+
+    sections = data.flat_map(&:keys)
+    invalid_sections = sections - PERMITTED_DTS_SECTIONS
+
+    unless invalid_sections.empty?
+      raise CompileError.new(
+              "Device-tree included the non-permitted root sections: #{invalid_sections.inspect}", log: [])
+    end
+  end
+
   # Lambda is single-process per container, and we get substantial speedups
   # from ccache by always building in the same path
   BUILD_DIR = '/tmp/build'
diff --git a/release.nix b/release.nix
index 3ed1cb5ef8d..7366f6ed1e1 100644
--- a/release.nix
+++ b/release.nix
@@ -44,6 +44,17 @@ let
     includes = zmk.buildInputs ++ zmk.nativeBuildInputs ++ zmk.zephyrModuleDeps;
   };
 
+  dts2yml = pkgs.writeShellScriptBin "dts2yml" ''
+    set -eo pipefail
+
+    ${pkgs.gcc-arm-embedded}/bin/arm-none-eabi-cpp -P -D__DTS__ -E -nostdinc \
+      -I "${zmk.src}/app/dts" -I "${zmk.src}/app/include" \
+      -I "${zephyr}/zephyr/dts" -I "${zephyr}/zephyr/dts/common" -I "${zephyr}/zephyr/dts/arm" \
+      -I "${zephyr}/zephyr/include" -I "${zephyr}/zephyr/include/zephyr"\
+      -undef -x assembler-with-cpp - |\
+    ${pkgs.dtc}/bin/dtc -I dts -O yaml
+  '';
+
   zmkCompileScript = let
     zmk' = zmk.override {
       gcc-arm-embedded = ccacheWrapper.override {
@@ -161,7 +172,7 @@ let
 
   startLambda = pkgs.writeShellScriptBin "startLambda" ''
     set -euo pipefail
-    export PATH=${lib.makeBinPath [ zmkCompileScript ]}:$PATH
+    export PATH=${lib.makeBinPath [ zmkCompileScript dts2yml ]}:$PATH
     cd ${lambda.source}
     ${lambda.bundleEnv}/bin/bundle exec aws_lambda_ric "app.LambdaFunction::Handler.process"
   '';
@@ -189,7 +200,7 @@ let
     };
   };
 in {
-  inherit lambdaImage zmkCompileScript ccacheCache;
+  inherit lambdaImage zmkCompileScript dts2yml ccacheCache;
   directLambdaImage = lambdaImage;
 
   # nix shell -f release.nix simulateLambda -c simulateLambda