diff --git a/src/deps.typ b/src/deps.typ
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3cac77c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/deps.typ
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+#import "@preview/valkyrie:0.2.1" as z
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/impl.typ b/src/impl.typ
index 5d12146..2db4df6 100644
--- a/src/impl.typ
+++ b/src/impl.typ
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #import "styles.typ": *
 #import "note.typ"
+#import "deps.typ": *
+#import "validation.typ"
 
 // Query is an array of key, value, and inherit
 #let recurse-columns(columns, queries) = {
@@ -140,6 +142,9 @@
   ..args
 ) = {
 
+  // Recurse once to handle input validate
+  columns = z.parse(columns, validation.columns-schema)
+
   let (columns, max-depth, length) = sanitize-input(columns, depth: 0)
   let query-result = recurse-columns(columns, (
     fill: (inherit: true, default: none),
@@ -160,8 +165,12 @@
     stroke: none,
     fill: query-result.map(it=>it.fill.value),
     align: query-result.map(it=>it.align.value),
-    column-gutter: query-result.map(it=>it.gutter.value),
-    columns: query-result.map(it=>it.width.value),
+    column-gutter: query-result.map(
+      it=>{if it.gutter.value != none {it.gutter.value} else {auto}}
+    ),
+    columns: query-result.map(
+      it=>{if it.width.value != none {it.width.value} else {auto}}
+    ),
     table.header(
       table.hline(stroke: toprule),
       ..build-header(columns, max-depth: max-depth),
diff --git a/src/validation.typ b/src/validation.typ
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e6da23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/validation.typ
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+#import "deps.typ": *
+
+#let columns-schema = z.array(
+  z.dictionary((:
+    key: z.any(),
+    header: z.content(optional: true),
+    display: z.function(optional: true),
+    fill: z.color(optional: true),
+    align: z.alignment(default: start),
+    gutter: z.length(optional: true),
+    width: z.any(optional: true),
+  )) + (:
+    handle-descendents: (self, it, ctx: z.z-ctx(), scope: ()) => {
+
+      if (it.len() == 0 and self.optional) {
+        return none
+      }
+
+      // Check `it` if strict
+      if (ctx.strict == true) {
+        for (key, value) in it {
+          if (key not in self.dictionary-schema) {
+            return (self.fail-validation)(
+              self,
+              it,
+              ctx: ctx,
+              scope: scope,
+              message: "Unknown key `" + key + "` in dictionary",
+            )
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      if "children" in it {
+        it.children = z.parse(
+          it.children,
+          z.array(
+            self,
+            z.coerce.array
+          ),
+          ctx: ctx
+        )
+      }
+
+      for (key, schema) in self.dictionary-schema {
+
+        let entry = (
+          schema.validate
+        )(
+          schema,
+          it.at(key, default: none), // implicitly handles missing entries
+          ctx: ctx,
+          scope: (..scope, str(key))
+        )
+
+        if (entry != none or ctx.remove-optional-none == false) {
+          it.insert(key, entry)
+        }
+
+      }
+      return it
+    },
+  )
+)
diff --git a/tests/test1/ref/1.png b/tests/test1/ref/1.png
deleted file mode 100644
index e726341..0000000
Binary files a/tests/test1/ref/1.png and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/tests/test1/test.typ b/tests/test1/test.typ
deleted file mode 100644
index 557db03..0000000
--- a/tests/test1/test.typ
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Hello World
diff --git a/tests/topdown/ledger/ref/1.png b/tests/topdown/ledger/ref/1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d683282
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/topdown/ledger/ref/1.png differ
diff --git a/tests/topdown/ledger/test.typ b/tests/topdown/ledger/test.typ
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..312fc5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/topdown/ledger/test.typ
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+#import "/src/lib.typ" as dining-table
+
+#let data = (
+  (
+    date: datetime.today(),
+    particulars: lorem(05),
+    ledger: [JRS123] + dining-table.note.make[Hello World],
+    amount: (unit: $100$, decimal: $00$),
+    total: (unit: $99$, decimal: $00$),
+  ),
+)*7 
+
+#import "@preview/typpuccino:0.1.0"
+#let bg-fill-1 = typpuccino.latte.base
+#let bg-fill-2 = typpuccino.latte.mantle
+
+#let example = (
+  (
+    key: "date",
+    header: align(left)[Date],
+    display: (it)=>it.display(auto),
+    fill: bg-fill-1,
+    align: start,
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+  ),
+  (
+    key: "particulars",
+    header: text(tracking: 5pt)[Particulars],
+    width: 1fr,
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+  ),
+  (
+    key: "ledger",
+    header: [Ledger],
+    fill: bg-fill-2,
+    width: 2cm,
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+  ),
+  (
+    header: align(center)[Amount],
+    fill: bg-fill-1,
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+    hline: arguments(stroke: dining-table.lightrule),
+    children: (
+      (
+        key: "amount.unit", 
+        header: align(left)[£], 
+        width: 5em, 
+        align: right,
+        vline: arguments(stroke: dining-table.lightrule),
+        gutter: 0em,
+      ),
+      (
+        key: "amount.decimal",
+        header: align(right, text(number-type: "old-style")[.00]), 
+        align: left
+      ),
+    )
+  ),
+  (
+    header: align(center)[Total],
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+    hline: arguments(stroke: dining-table.lightrule),
+    children: (
+      (
+        key: "total.unit", 
+        header: align(left)[£], 
+        width: 5em, 
+        align: right,
+        vline: arguments(stroke: dining-table.lightrule),
+        gutter: 0em,
+      ),
+      (
+        key: "total.decimal",
+        header: align(right, text(number-type: "old-style")[.00]), 
+        align: left
+      ),
+    )
+  ),
+)
+
+#set text(size: 11pt)
+#set page(height: auto, margin: 1em)
+#dining-table.make(columns: example, 
+  data: data, 
+  notes: dining-table.note.display-list
+)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/validation/test-1/ref/1.png b/tests/validation/test-1/ref/1.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9f8d53a
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/validation/test-1/ref/1.png differ
diff --git a/tests/validation/test-1/test.typ b/tests/validation/test-1/test.typ
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c809d83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/validation/test-1/test.typ
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+#import "/src/deps.typ": *
+#import "/src/validation.typ"
+#import "/src/lib.typ" as dining-table
+
+#import "@preview/typpuccino:0.1.0"
+#let bg-fill-1 = typpuccino.latte.base
+#let bg-fill-2 = typpuccino.latte.mantle
+
+#let example = (
+  (
+    key: "date",
+    header: align(left)[Date],
+    display: (it)=>it.display(auto),
+    fill: bg-fill-1,
+    align: start,
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+  ),
+  (
+    key: "particulars",
+    header: text(tracking: 5pt)[Particulars],
+    width: 1fr,
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+  ),
+  (
+    key: "ledger",
+    header: [Ledger],
+    fill: bg-fill-2,
+    width: 2cm,
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+  ),
+  (
+    header: align(center)[Amount],
+    fill: bg-fill-1,
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+    hline: arguments(stroke: dining-table.lightrule),
+    children: (
+      (
+        key: "amount.unit", 
+        header: align(left)[£], 
+        width: 5em, 
+        align: right,
+        vline: arguments(stroke: dining-table.lightrule),
+        gutter: 0em,
+      ),
+      (
+        key: "amount.decimal",
+        header: align(right, text(number-type: "old-style")[.00]), 
+        align: left
+      ),
+    )
+  ),
+  (
+    header: align(center)[Total],
+    gutter: 0.5em,
+    hline: arguments(stroke: dining-table.lightrule),
+    children: (
+      (
+        key: "total.unit", 
+        header: align(left)[£], 
+        width: 5em, 
+        align: right,
+        vline: arguments(stroke: dining-table.lightrule),
+        gutter: 0em,
+      ),
+      (
+        key: "total.decimal",
+        header: align(right, text(number-type: "old-style")[.00]), 
+        align: left
+      ),
+    )
+  ),
+)
+
+#set text(size: 11pt)
+#set page(height: auto, margin: 1em)
+
+
+#z.parse(example, validation.columns-schema, ctx: z.z-ctx(remove-optional-none: true))
\ No newline at end of file