diff --git a/lib/modules/versioning/index.ts b/lib/modules/versioning/index.ts
index b26e22d9552ede..0346a213a622a6 100644
--- a/lib/modules/versioning/index.ts
+++ b/lib/modules/versioning/index.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,9 @@
-import { logger } from '../../logger';
 import versionings from './api';
-import { isVersioningApiConstructor } from './common';
-import * as semverCoerced from './semver-coerced';
+import { Versioning } from './schema';
 import type { VersioningApi, VersioningApiConstructor } from './types';
 
 export * from './types';
 
-const defaultVersioning = semverCoerced;
-
 export const getVersioningList = (): string[] => Array.from(versionings.keys());
 /**
  * Get versioning map. Can be used to dynamically add new versioning type
@@ -17,28 +13,18 @@ export const getVersionings = (): Map<
   VersioningApi | VersioningApiConstructor
 > => versionings;
 
-export function get(versioning: string | undefined): VersioningApi {
-  if (!versioning) {
-    logger.trace(
-      `Missing versioning, using ${defaultVersioning.id} as fallback.`
-    );
-    return defaultVersioning.api;
-  }
-  const [versioningName, ...versioningRest] = versioning.split(':');
-  const versioningConfig = versioningRest.length
-    ? versioningRest.join(':')
-    : undefined;
+export function get(versioning = ''): VersioningApi {
+  const res = Versioning.safeParse(versioning);
 
-  const theVersioning = versionings.get(versioningName);
-  if (!theVersioning) {
-    logger.info(
-      { versioning },
-      `Unknown versioning - defaulting to ${defaultVersioning.id}`
-    );
-    return defaultVersioning.api;
-  }
-  if (isVersioningApiConstructor(theVersioning)) {
-    return new theVersioning(versioningConfig);
+  if (!res.success) {
+    const [issue] = res.error.issues;
+    if (issue && issue.code === 'custom' && issue.params?.error) {
+      throw issue.params.error;
+    }
+
+    // istanbul ignore next: should never happen
+    throw res.error;
   }
-  return theVersioning;
+
+  return res.data;
 }
diff --git a/lib/modules/versioning/regex/index.spec.ts b/lib/modules/versioning/regex/index.spec.ts
index a97494482a15c8..3c96498aa81195 100644
--- a/lib/modules/versioning/regex/index.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/modules/versioning/regex/index.spec.ts
@@ -22,15 +22,14 @@ describe('modules/versioning/regex/index', () => {
     });
 
     describe('throws', () => {
-      for (const re of [
-        '^(?<major>\\d+)(',
-        '^(?<major>\\d+)?(?<!y)x$',
-        '^(?<major>\\d+)?(?<=y)x$',
-      ]) {
-        it(re, () => {
-          expect(() => get(`regex:${re}`)).toThrow(CONFIG_VALIDATION);
-        });
-      }
+      it.each`
+        regex
+        ${'^(?<major>\\d+)('}
+        ${'^(?<major>\\d+)?(?<!y)x$'}
+        ${'^(?<major>\\d+)?(?<=y)x$'}
+      `(`on invalid regex: "$regex"`, ({ re }: { re: string }) => {
+        expect(() => get(`regex:${re}`)).toThrow(CONFIG_VALIDATION);
+      });
     });
 
     it.each`
diff --git a/lib/modules/versioning/schema.spec.ts b/lib/modules/versioning/schema.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..4e31686fafe1ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/modules/versioning/schema.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import api from './api';
+import { Versioning } from './schema';
+
+describe('modules/versioning/schema', () => {
+  it('returns existing version scheme', () => {
+    const versioning1 = Versioning.parse('hermit');
+    const versioning2 = Versioning.parse('hermit:foobar');
+    expect(versioning1.isValid).toBeFunction();
+    expect(versioning2.isValid).toBeFunction();
+    expect(versioning1).not.toBe(versioning2);
+  });
+
+  it('falls back to default version scheme', () => {
+    const defaultVersioning = api.get('semver-coerced');
+    expect(Versioning.parse('foobarbaz')).toBe(defaultVersioning);
+    expect(Versioning.parse('')).toBe(defaultVersioning);
+  });
+
+  it('catches errors', () => {
+    const res = Versioning.safeParse('regex:foobar');
+    expect(res.success).toBeFalse();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/modules/versioning/schema.ts b/lib/modules/versioning/schema.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..3471ecbed5172d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/modules/versioning/schema.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import is from '@sindresorhus/is';
+import { z } from 'zod';
+import { logger } from '../../logger';
+import versionings from './api';
+import * as defaultVersioning from './semver-coerced';
+import type { VersioningApi } from './types';
+
+export const Versioning = z
+  .string()
+  .transform((versioningSpec, ctx): VersioningApi => {
+    const [versioningName, ...versioningRest] = versioningSpec.split(':');
+
+    let versioning = versionings.get(versioningName);
+    if (!versioning) {
+      logger.info(
+        { versioning: versioningSpec },
+        `Versioning: '${versioningSpec}' not found, falling back to ${defaultVersioning.id}`
+      );
+      return defaultVersioning.api;
+    }
+
+    if (is.function_(versioning)) {
+      const versioningConfig = versioningRest.length
+        ? versioningRest.join(':')
+        : undefined;
+
+      try {
+        versioning = new versioning(versioningConfig);
+      } catch (error) {
+        ctx.addIssue({
+          code: 'custom',
+          message: `Versioning: '${versioningSpec}' failed to initialize`,
+          params: { error },
+        });
+        return z.NEVER;
+      }
+    }
+
+    return versioning;
+  });