diff --git a/cmd/thanos/check.go b/cmd/thanos/check.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8730eaa75b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/thanos/check.go
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/go-kit/kit/log"
+	thanosrule "github.com/improbable-eng/thanos/pkg/rule"
+	"github.com/oklog/run"
+	"github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/pkg/rulefmt"
+	"gopkg.in/alecthomas/kingpin.v2"
+	"gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
+)
+
+func registerChecks(m map[string]setupFunc, app *kingpin.Application, name string) {
+	cmd := app.Command(name, "Linting tools for Thanos")
+	registerRulesCheck(m, cmd, name)
+	return
+}
+
+func registerRulesCheck(m map[string]setupFunc, root *kingpin.CmdClause, name string) {
+	checkRulesCmd := root.Command("rules", "Check if the rule files are valid or not.")
+	ruleFiles := checkRulesCmd.Arg(
+		"rule-files",
+		"The rule files to check.",
+	).Required().ExistingFiles()
+
+	m[name+" rules"] = func(g *run.Group, logger log.Logger, reg *prometheus.Registry, _ opentracing.Tracer, _ bool) error {
+		// Dummy actor to immediately kill the group after the run function returns.
+		g.Add(func() error { return nil }, func(error) {})
+		return checkRulesFiles(ruleFiles)
+	}
+}
+
+func checkRulesFiles(files *[]string) error {
+	var failed error
+
+	for _, f := range *files {
+		n, errs := checkRules(f)
+		if errs != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "  FAILED:")
+			for _, e := range errs {
+				fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, e.Error())
+			}
+			fmt.Println()
+			failed = fmt.Errorf("Errors: %v\n\n", errs)
+			continue
+		}
+		fmt.Printf("  SUCCESS: %d rules found\n\n", n)
+	}
+	if failed != nil {
+		return failed
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func checkRules(filename string) (int, []error) {
+	fmt.Println("Checking", filename)
+
+	b, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filename)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, []error{err}
+	}
+
+	var rgs thanosrule.RuleGroups
+	if err := yaml.Unmarshal(b, &rgs); err != nil {
+		return 0, []error{err}
+	}
+
+	// We need to convert Thanos rules to Prometheus rules so we can use their validation
+	promRgs := thanosRuleGroupsToPromRuleGroups(rgs)
+	if errs := promRgs.Validate(); errs != nil {
+		return 0, errs
+	}
+
+	numRules := 0
+	for _, rg := range rgs.Groups {
+		numRules += len(rg.Rules)
+	}
+
+	return numRules, nil
+}
+
+func thanosRuleGroupsToPromRuleGroups(ruleGroups thanosrule.RuleGroups) rulefmt.RuleGroups {
+	promRuleGroups := rulefmt.RuleGroups{Groups: []rulefmt.RuleGroup{}}
+	for _, g := range ruleGroups.Groups {
+		group := rulefmt.RuleGroup{
+			Name:     g.Name,
+			Interval: g.Interval,
+			Rules:    []rulefmt.Rule{},
+		}
+		for _, r := range g.Rules {
+			group.Rules = append(
+				group.Rules,
+				rulefmt.Rule{
+					Record:      r.Record,
+					Alert:       r.Alert,
+					Expr:        r.Expr,
+					For:         r.For,
+					Labels:      r.Labels,
+					Annotations: r.Annotations,
+				},
+			)
+		}
+		promRuleGroups.Groups = append(
+			promRuleGroups.Groups,
+			group,
+		)
+	}
+	return promRuleGroups
+}
diff --git a/cmd/thanos/check_test.go b/cmd/thanos/check_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..069feeae753
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/thanos/check_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/improbable-eng/thanos/pkg/testutil"
+)
+
+func Test_checkRules(t *testing.T) {
+
+	validFiles := []string{
+		"./testdata/rules-files/valid.yaml",
+	}
+
+	invalidFiles := [][]string{
+		[]string{"./testdata/rules-files/non-existing-file.yaml"},
+		[]string{"./testdata/rules-files/invalid-yaml-format.yaml"},
+		[]string{"./testdata/rules-files/invalid-rules-data.yaml"},
+	}
+
+	testutil.Ok(t, checkRulesFiles(&validFiles))
+
+	for _, fn := range invalidFiles {
+		testutil.NotOk(t, checkRulesFiles(&fn))
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/thanos/main.go b/cmd/thanos/main.go
index 2dbbad88a33..063836530a6 100644
--- a/cmd/thanos/main.go
+++ b/cmd/thanos/main.go
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ func main() {
 	registerBucket(cmds, app, "bucket")
 	registerDownsample(cmds, app, "downsample")
 	registerReceive(cmds, app, "receive")
+	registerChecks(cmds, app, "check")
 
 	cmd, err := app.Parse(os.Args[1:])
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/invalid-rules-data.yaml b/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/invalid-rules-data.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..575783d7166
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/invalid-rules-data.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+groups:
+  - name: null
+    partial_response_strategy: "warn"
+    interval: 2m
+    rules:
+      - alert: TestAlert
+        partial_response_strategy: "warn"
+        expr: 1
+        labels:
+          key: value
+        annotations:
+          key: value
diff --git a/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/invalid-yaml-format.yaml b/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/invalid-yaml-format.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..58efff20109
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/invalid-yaml-format.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+groups:
+  - name: test
+  invalid_yaml_reason
diff --git a/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/valid.yaml b/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/valid.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c160a6f337d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/thanos/testdata/rules-files/valid.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+groups:
+  - name: test-alert-group
+    partial_response_strategy: "warn"
+    interval: 2m
+    rules:
+      - alert: TestAlert
+        partial_response_strategy: "warn"
+        expr: 1
+        labels:
+          key: value
+        annotations:
+          key: value
+
+  - name: test-rule-group
+    partial_response_strategy: "warn"
+    interval: 2m
+    rules:
+      - record: test_metric
+        expr: 1
+        partial_response_strategy: "warn"