diff --git a/config/base.js b/config/base.js
index 1d7b7087..04fa90bf 100644
--- a/config/base.js
+++ b/config/base.js
@@ -65,15 +65,24 @@ const SCHEMA_SUBSCRIBE = Joi.object().keys({
 
 const SCHEMA_CONFIG = Joi.object()
     .keys({
+        template: Joi.string().regex(Regex.FULL_TEMPLATE_NAME_WITH_NAMESPACE),
         version: Joi.number().integer().min(1).max(50),
-        annotations: Annotations.annotations,
-        jobs: SCHEMA_JOBS.required(),
-        shared: SCHEMA_SHARED,
-        cache: SCHEMA_CACHE,
-        childPipelines: SCHEMA_CHILD_PIPELINES,
-        stages: SCHEMA_STAGES,
-        subscribe: SCHEMA_SUBSCRIBE,
-        parameters: Parameters.parameters.default({})
+        annotations: Annotations.annotations.when('template', { is: Joi.exist(), then: Joi.forbidden() }),
+        jobs: SCHEMA_JOBS.when('template', { is: Joi.exist(), then: Joi.forbidden(), otherwise: Joi.required() }),
+        shared: Joi.when('template', {
+            is: Joi.exist(),
+            then: Joi.object().keys({
+                image: Job.image,
+                environment: Job.environment,
+                settings: Job.settings
+            }),
+            otherwise: SCHEMA_SHARED
+        }),
+        cache: SCHEMA_CACHE.when('template', { is: Joi.exist(), then: Joi.forbidden() }),
+        childPipelines: SCHEMA_CHILD_PIPELINES.when('template', { is: Joi.exist(), then: Joi.forbidden() }),
+        stages: SCHEMA_STAGES.when('template', { is: Joi.exist(), then: Joi.forbidden() }),
+        subscribe: SCHEMA_SUBSCRIBE.when('template', { is: Joi.exist(), then: Joi.forbidden() }),
+        parameters: Parameters.parameters.default({}).when('template', { is: Joi.exist(), then: Joi.forbidden() })
     })
     .unknown(false);
 
diff --git a/test/config/base.test.js b/test/config/base.test.js
index b0ee35b7..7ed47d6f 100644
--- a/test/config/base.test.js
+++ b/test/config/base.test.js
@@ -44,4 +44,18 @@ describe('config base', () => {
             assert.isNull(validate('config.base.stages.yaml', config.base.stages).error);
         });
     });
+
+    describe('pipeline template', () => {
+        it('validates the basic pipeline template usage', () => {
+            assert.isNull(validate('config.base.pipelineTemplate.yaml', config.base.config).error);
+        });
+
+        it('if template is provided then unsupported fields are foridden', () => {
+            assert.isNotNull(validate('config.base.pipelineTemplate-forbidden.yaml', config.base.config).error);
+        });
+
+        it('if template is not provided then job is required', () => {
+            assert.isNotNull(validate('config.base.pipelineTemplate-invalid.yaml', config.base.config).error);
+        });
+    });
 });
diff --git a/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate-forbidden.yaml b/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate-forbidden.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f596523c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate-forbidden.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+template: foo/bar@1.0.0
+shared:
+  image: node:20
+  environment:
+      FOO: user overwrite
+  settings:
+      email: foo@example.com
+jobs:
+  main:
+    required: [ ~commit ]
+    steps:
+        - init: npm install
+        - test: npm test
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate-invalid.yaml b/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate-invalid.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8cbe1280
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate-invalid.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+version: 1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate.yaml b/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d51cb84f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/data/config.base.pipelineTemplate.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+template: foo/bar@1.0.0
+shared:
+  image: node:20
+  environment:
+      FOO: user overwrite
+  settings:
+      email: foo@example.com
\ No newline at end of file