diff --git a/src/app/config/config.c b/src/app/config/config.c
index aafc8c5a7f..4e7720b0b3 100644
--- a/src/app/config/config.c
+++ b/src/app/config/config.c
@@ -873,7 +873,7 @@ static const config_format_t options_format = {
   .abbrevs = option_abbrevs_,
   .deprecations = option_deprecation_notes_,
   .vars = option_vars_,
-  .validate_fn = options_validate_cb,
+  .legacy_validate_fn = options_validate_cb,
   .clear_fn = options_clear_cb,
   .config_suite_offset = offsetof(or_options_t, subconfigs_),
 };
diff --git a/src/app/config/statefile.c b/src/app/config/statefile.c
index 2e5edc41c9..e277e722cd 100644
--- a/src/app/config/statefile.c
+++ b/src/app/config/statefile.c
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ static const config_format_t state_format = {
   },
   .abbrevs = state_abbrevs_,
   .vars = state_vars_,
-  .validate_fn = or_state_validate_cb,
+  .legacy_validate_fn = or_state_validate_cb,
   .extra = &state_extra_var,
   .config_suite_offset = offsetof(or_state_t, substates_),
 };
diff --git a/src/feature/dirauth/shared_random_state.c b/src/feature/dirauth/shared_random_state.c
index 2070e03aa1..eeb005d477 100644
--- a/src/feature/dirauth/shared_random_state.c
+++ b/src/feature/dirauth/shared_random_state.c
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ static const config_format_t state_format = {
    offsetof(sr_disk_state_t, magic_),
   },
   .vars = state_vars,
-  .validate_fn = disk_state_validate_cb,
+  .legacy_validate_fn = disk_state_validate_cb,
   .extra = &state_extra_var,
   .config_suite_offset = -1,
 };
diff --git a/src/lib/confmgt/confparse.c b/src/lib/confmgt/confparse.c
index 323c88a31c..96eba610bb 100644
--- a/src/lib/confmgt/confparse.c
+++ b/src/lib/confmgt/confparse.c
@@ -1166,7 +1166,7 @@ config_dump(const config_mgr_t *mgr, const void *default_options,
 
   /* XXX use a 1 here so we don't add a new log line while dumping */
   if (default_options == NULL) {
-    if (fmt->validate_fn(NULL, defaults_tmp, &msg) < 0) {
+    if (fmt->legacy_validate_fn(NULL, defaults_tmp, &msg) < 0) {
       // LCOV_EXCL_START
       log_err(LD_BUG, "Failed to validate default config: %s", msg);
       tor_free(msg);
diff --git a/src/lib/confmgt/confparse.h b/src/lib/confmgt/confparse.h
index 8d7278cb04..d50d6d8143 100644
--- a/src/lib/confmgt/confparse.h
+++ b/src/lib/confmgt/confparse.h
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ typedef struct config_deprecation_t {
  * config_dump(); later in our refactoring, it will be cleaned up and used
  * more generally.
  */
-typedef int (*validate_fn_t)(const void *oldval,
+typedef int (*legacy_validate_fn_t)(const void *oldval,
                              void *newval,
                              char **msg_out);
 
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ typedef struct config_format_t {
   const config_var_t *vars; /**< List of variables we recognize, their default
                              * values, and where we stick them in the
                              * structure. */
-  validate_fn_t validate_fn; /**< Function to validate config. */
+  legacy_validate_fn_t legacy_validate_fn; /**< Function to validate config. */
   clear_cfg_fn_t clear_fn; /**< Function to clear the configuration. */
   /** If present, extra denotes a LINELIST variable for unrecognized
    * lines.  Otherwise, unrecognized lines are an error. */
diff --git a/src/test/test_confparse.c b/src/test/test_confparse.c
index 8cda96ba57..0c12e35f8a 100644
--- a/src/test/test_confparse.c
+++ b/src/test/test_confparse.c
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ static const config_format_t test_fmt = {
   .abbrevs = test_abbrevs,
   .deprecations = test_deprecation_notes,
   .vars = test_vars,
-  .validate_fn = test_validate_cb,
+  .legacy_validate_fn = test_validate_cb,
   .config_suite_offset = -1,
 };
 
@@ -822,7 +822,7 @@ static config_format_t etest_fmt = {
   .abbrevs = test_abbrevs,
   .deprecations = test_deprecation_notes,
   .vars = test_vars,
-  .validate_fn = test_validate_cb,
+  .legacy_validate_fn = test_validate_cb,
   .extra = &extra,
   .config_suite_offset = -1,
 };