diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/package.json b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/package.json
index 528d84a299..acaf18a8d4 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/package.json
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/package.json
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@
     "winston": "^3.2.1",
     "yaml": "^1.10.0",
     "vm2": "^3.9.6",
-    "zen-observable": "^0.8.15"
+    "zen-observable": "^0.8.15",
+    "zod": "^3.11.6"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@backstage/backend-test-utils": "^0.1.25-next.0",
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.ts
index da5e2c3030..01a6bbb235 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import {
   UserEntity,
 } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { Entity } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
-import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
+import { Config, JsonObject } from '@backstage/config';
 import { InputError, NotFoundError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { ScmIntegrations } from '@backstage/integration';
 import {
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import Router from 'express-promise-router';
 import { validate } from 'jsonschema';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { TemplateFilter } from '../lib';
+import { z } from 'zod';
 import {
   createBuiltinActions,
   DatabaseTaskStore,
@@ -336,20 +337,27 @@ export async function createRouter(
       });
     })
     .post('/v2/dry-run', async (req, res) => {
-      const template = req.body.template as TemplateEntityV1beta3;
+      const bodySchema = z.object({
+        template: z.unknown(),
+        values: z.record(z.unknown()),
+        secrets: z.record(z.string()),
+        content: z.array(
+          z.object({ path: z.string(), base64Content: z.string() }),
+        ),
+      });
+      const body = await bodySchema.parseAsync(req.body).catch(e => {
+        throw new InputError(`Malformed request: ${e}`);
+      });
+
+      const template = body.template as TemplateEntityV1beta3;
       if (!(await templateEntityV1beta3Validator.check(template))) {
         throw new InputError('Input template is not a template');
       }
 
-      const values = req.body.values;
       const token = getBearerToken(req.headers.authorization);
-      const content = req.body.content as {
-        path: string;
-        base64Content: string;
-      }[];
 
       for (const parameters of [template.spec.parameters ?? []].flat()) {
-        const result = validate(values, parameters);
+        const result = validate(body.values, parameters);
         if (!result.valid) {
           res.status(400).json({ errors: result.errors });
           return;
@@ -367,15 +375,15 @@ export async function createRouter(
           apiVersion: template.apiVersion,
           steps,
           output: template.spec.output ?? {},
-          parameters: values,
+          parameters: body.values as JsonObject,
         },
-        content: (content ?? []).map(file => ({
+        content: (body.content ?? []).map(file => ({
           path: file.path,
           content: Buffer.from(file.base64Content, 'base64'),
         })),
         secrets: {
-          ...req.body.secrets,
-          backstageToken: token,
+          ...body.secrets,
+          ...(token && { backstageToken: token }),
         },
       });