diff --git a/packages/components/src/lib/plotParser.ts b/packages/components/src/lib/plotParser.ts
index 5b7ca31d..033ac2a3 100644
--- a/packages/components/src/lib/plotParser.ts
+++ b/packages/components/src/lib/plotParser.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+import * as yup from "yup";
 import { Distribution, result, squiggleExpression } from "@quri/squiggle-lang";
-import { flattenResult, resultBind } from "./utility";
 
 export type LabeledDistribution = { name: string; distribution: Distribution };
 
@@ -15,76 +15,47 @@ function ok<a, b>(x: a): result<a, b> {
   return { tag: "Ok", value: x };
 }
 
-function parseString(expr: squiggleExpression): result<string, string> {
-  if (expr.tag === "string") {
-    return ok(expr.value);
-  } else {
-    return error("Expression was not string");
-  }
-}
-
-function parseRecord(
-  expr: squiggleExpression
-): result<{ [key: string]: squiggleExpression }, string> {
-  if (expr.tag === "record") {
-    return ok(expr.value);
-  } else {
-    return error("Expression was not a record");
-  }
-}
-
-function parseDistribution(
-  expr: squiggleExpression
-): result<Distribution, string> {
-  if (expr.tag === "distribution") {
-    return ok(expr.value);
-  } else {
-    return error("Expression was not a distribution");
-  }
-}
-
-function parseArray(
-  expr: squiggleExpression
-): result<squiggleExpression[], string> {
-  if (expr.tag === "array") {
-    return ok(expr.value);
-  } else {
-    return error("Expression was not a distribution");
-  }
-}
-
-function parseField<a>(
-  record: { [key: string]: squiggleExpression },
-  field: string,
-  parser: (expr: squiggleExpression) => result<a, string>
-): result<a, string> {
-  if (record[field]) {
-    return parser(record[field]);
-  } else {
-    return error("record does not have field " + field);
-  }
-}
-
-function parseLabeledDistribution(
-  x: squiggleExpression
-): result<LabeledDistribution, string> {
-  return resultBind(parseRecord(x), (record) =>
-    resultBind(parseField(record, "name", parseString), (name) =>
-      resultBind(
-        parseField(record, "distribution", parseDistribution),
-        (distribution) => ok({ name, distribution })
-      )
-    )
-  );
-}
+const schema = yup
+  .object()
+  .strict()
+  .noUnknown()
+  .shape({
+    distributions: yup.object().shape({
+      tag: yup.mixed().oneOf(["array"]),
+      value: yup
+        .array()
+        .of(
+          yup.object().shape({
+            tag: yup.mixed().oneOf(["record"]),
+            value: yup.object().shape({
+              name: yup.object().shape({
+                tag: yup.mixed().oneOf(["string"]),
+                value: yup.string().required(),
+              }),
+              distribution: yup.object().shape({
+                tag: yup.mixed().oneOf(["distribution"]),
+                value: yup.mixed(),
+              }),
+            }),
+          })
+        )
+        .required(),
+    }),
+  });
 
 export function parsePlot(record: {
   [key: string]: squiggleExpression;
 }): result<Plot, string> {
-  return resultBind(parseField(record, "distributions", parseArray), (array) =>
-    resultBind(
-      flattenResult(array.map(parseLabeledDistribution)),
-      (distributions) => ok({ distributions })
-    )
-  );
+  try {
+    const plotRecord = schema.validateSync(record);
+    return ok({
+      distributions: plotRecord.distributions.value.map((x) => ({
+        name: x.value.name.value,
+        distribution: x.value.distribution.value,
+      })),
+    });
+  } catch (e) {
+    const message = e instanceof Error ? e.message : "Unknown error";
+    return error(message);
+  }
 }