diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index b54fda5614..3cf5eb5ce5 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -105,6 +105,10 @@ RUN curl -sSL https://storage.googleapis.com/golang/go${GOFMT_VERSION}.$(go env
 # Grab Go's cover tool for dead-simple code coverage testing
 RUN go get golang.org/x/tools/cmd/cover
 
+# Grab Go's vet tool for examining go code to find suspicious constructs
+# and help prevent errors that the compiler might not catch
+RUN go get golang.org/x/tools/cmd/vet
+
 # TODO replace FPM with some very minimal debhelper stuff
 RUN gem install --no-rdoc --no-ri fpm --version 1.3.2
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 9bf1b16c94..7978b632ca 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ test-docker-py: build
 	$(DOCKER_RUN_DOCKER) hack/make.sh binary test-docker-py
 
 validate: build
-	$(DOCKER_RUN_DOCKER) hack/make.sh validate-gofmt validate-dco validate-toml
+	$(DOCKER_RUN_DOCKER) hack/make.sh validate-dco validate-gofmt validate-toml validate-vet
 
 shell: build
 	$(DOCKER_RUN_DOCKER) bash
diff --git a/hack/make.sh b/hack/make.sh
index 1ab1d8137e..3bcb265b3c 100755
--- a/hack/make.sh
+++ b/hack/make.sh
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ DEFAULT_BUNDLES=(
 	validate-dco
 	validate-gofmt
 	validate-toml
+	validate-vet
 
 	binary
 
diff --git a/hack/make/validate-vet b/hack/make/validate-vet
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..994a6ac03d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/make/validate-vet
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+source "$(dirname "$BASH_SOURCE")/.validate"
+
+IFS=$'\n'
+files=( $(validate_diff --diff-filter=ACMR --name-only -- '*.go' | grep -v '^vendor/' || true) )
+unset IFS
+
+for f in "${files[@]}"; do
+    # we use "git show" here to validate that what's committed is vetted
+    failedVet=$(git show "$VALIDATE_HEAD:$f" | go vet)
+    if [ $failedVet ]; then
+        fails=yes
+        echo $failedVet
+    fi
+done
+
+if [ $fails ]; then
+    echo 'Please review and resolve the above issues and commit the result.'
+else
+    echo 'All Go source files have been vetted.'
+fi