diff --git a/backend/src/pluginUtils.ts b/backend/src/pluginUtils.ts
index 75e7eb25..e9138d3d 100644
--- a/backend/src/pluginUtils.ts
+++ b/backend/src/pluginUtils.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import { isStaff } from "./staff";
 import { TZeppelinKnub } from "./types";
 import { errorMessage, successMessage, tNullable } from "./utils";
 import { Tail } from "./utils/typeUtils";
-import { StrictValidationError, validate } from "./validatorUtils";
+import { parseIoTsSchema, StrictValidationError } from "./validatorUtils";
 
 const { getMemberLevel } = helpers;
 
@@ -110,11 +110,14 @@ export function strictValidationErrorToConfigValidationError(err: StrictValidati
 
 export function makeIoTsConfigParser<Schema extends t.Type<any>>(schema: Schema): (input: unknown) => t.TypeOf<Schema> {
   return (input: unknown) => {
-    const error = validate(schema, input);
-    if (error) {
-      throw strictValidationErrorToConfigValidationError(error);
+    try {
+      return parseIoTsSchema(schema, input);
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (err instanceof StrictValidationError) {
+        throw strictValidationErrorToConfigValidationError(err);
+      }
+      throw err;
     }
-    return input as t.TypeOf<Schema>;
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/Automod/AutomodPlugin.ts b/backend/src/plugins/Automod/AutomodPlugin.ts
index 81a7792c..7b664bf9 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/Automod/AutomodPlugin.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/Automod/AutomodPlugin.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { configUtils, CooldownManager } from "knub";
 import { GuildAntiraidLevels } from "../../data/GuildAntiraidLevels";
 import { GuildArchives } from "../../data/GuildArchives";
@@ -9,7 +8,7 @@ import { discardRegExpRunner, getRegExpRunner } from "../../regExpRunners";
 import { MINUTES, SECONDS } from "../../utils";
 import { registerEventListenersFromMap } from "../../utils/registerEventListenersFromMap";
 import { unregisterEventListenersFromMap } from "../../utils/unregisterEventListenersFromMap";
-import { StrictValidationError, validate } from "../../validatorUtils";
+import { parseIoTsSchema, StrictValidationError } from "../../validatorUtils";
 import { CountersPlugin } from "../Counters/CountersPlugin";
 import { InternalPosterPlugin } from "../InternalPoster/InternalPosterPlugin";
 import { LogsPlugin } from "../Logs/LogsPlugin";
@@ -181,12 +180,7 @@ const configParser = (input: unknown) => {
     }
   }
 
-  const error = validate(ConfigSchema, input);
-  if (error) {
-    throw error;
-  }
-
-  return input as t.TypeOf<typeof ConfigSchema>;
+  return parseIoTsSchema(ConfigSchema, input);
 };
 
 export const AutomodPlugin = zeppelinGuildPlugin<AutomodPluginType>()({
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/Counters/CountersPlugin.ts b/backend/src/plugins/Counters/CountersPlugin.ts
index b2eb34b1..14e3432e 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/Counters/CountersPlugin.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/Counters/CountersPlugin.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { EventEmitter } from "events";
-import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { PluginOptions } from "knub";
 import {
   buildCounterConditionString,
@@ -10,7 +9,7 @@ import {
 import { GuildCounters } from "../../data/GuildCounters";
 import { mapToPublicFn } from "../../pluginUtils";
 import { convertDelayStringToMS, MINUTES } from "../../utils";
-import { StrictValidationError, validate } from "../../validatorUtils";
+import { parseIoTsSchema, StrictValidationError } from "../../validatorUtils";
 import { zeppelinGuildPlugin } from "../ZeppelinPluginBlueprint";
 import { AddCounterCmd } from "./commands/AddCounterCmd";
 import { CountersListCmd } from "./commands/CountersListCmd";
@@ -115,12 +114,7 @@ export const CountersPlugin = zeppelinGuildPlugin<CountersPluginType>()({
       throw new StrictValidationError([`You can only have at most ${MAX_COUNTERS} counters`]);
     }
 
-    const error = validate(ConfigSchema, input);
-    if (error) {
-      throw error;
-    }
-
-    return input as t.TypeOf<typeof ConfigSchema>;
+    return parseIoTsSchema(ConfigSchema, input);
   },
 
   public: {
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/RoleButtons/RoleButtonsPlugin.ts b/backend/src/plugins/RoleButtons/RoleButtonsPlugin.ts
index 4dc3d345..79cfb8b4 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/RoleButtons/RoleButtonsPlugin.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/RoleButtons/RoleButtonsPlugin.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
-import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { GuildRoleButtons } from "../../data/GuildRoleButtons";
-import { StrictValidationError, validate } from "../../validatorUtils";
+import { parseIoTsSchema, StrictValidationError } from "../../validatorUtils";
 import { LogsPlugin } from "../Logs/LogsPlugin";
 import { RoleManagerPlugin } from "../RoleManager/RoleManagerPlugin";
 import { zeppelinGuildPlugin } from "../ZeppelinPluginBlueprint";
@@ -65,12 +64,7 @@ export const RoleButtonsPlugin = zeppelinGuildPlugin<RoleButtonsPluginType>()({
       }
     }
 
-    const error = validate(ConfigSchema, input);
-    if (error) {
-      throw error;
-    }
-
-    return input as t.TypeOf<typeof ConfigSchema>;
+    return parseIoTsSchema(ConfigSchema, input);
   },
 
   dependencies: () => [LogsPlugin, RoleManagerPlugin],
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/SelfGrantableRoles/SelfGrantableRolesPlugin.ts b/backend/src/plugins/SelfGrantableRoles/SelfGrantableRolesPlugin.ts
index 9a2c7dd1..1621f215 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/SelfGrantableRoles/SelfGrantableRolesPlugin.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/SelfGrantableRoles/SelfGrantableRolesPlugin.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { CooldownManager, PluginOptions } from "knub";
 import { trimPluginDescription } from "../../utils";
-import { validate } from "../../validatorUtils";
+import { parseIoTsSchema } from "../../validatorUtils";
 import { zeppelinGuildPlugin } from "../ZeppelinPluginBlueprint";
 import { RoleAddCmd } from "./commands/RoleAddCmd";
 import { RoleHelpCmd } from "./commands/RoleHelpCmd";
@@ -84,12 +83,7 @@ export const SelfGrantableRolesPlugin = zeppelinGuildPlugin<SelfGrantableRolesPl
       }
     }
 
-    const error = validate(ConfigSchema, input);
-    if (error) {
-      throw error;
-    }
-
-    return input as t.TypeOf<typeof ConfigSchema>;
+    return parseIoTsSchema(ConfigSchema, input);
   },
   defaultOptions,
 
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/Starboard/StarboardPlugin.ts b/backend/src/plugins/Starboard/StarboardPlugin.ts
index c4bb4ead..1c72a0cc 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/Starboard/StarboardPlugin.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/Starboard/StarboardPlugin.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
-import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { PluginOptions } from "knub";
 import { GuildSavedMessages } from "../../data/GuildSavedMessages";
 import { GuildStarboardMessages } from "../../data/GuildStarboardMessages";
 import { GuildStarboardReactions } from "../../data/GuildStarboardReactions";
 import { trimPluginDescription } from "../../utils";
-import { validate } from "../../validatorUtils";
+import { parseIoTsSchema } from "../../validatorUtils";
 import { zeppelinGuildPlugin } from "../ZeppelinPluginBlueprint";
 import { MigratePinsCmd } from "./commands/MigratePinsCmd";
 import { StarboardReactionAddEvt } from "./events/StarboardReactionAddEvt";
@@ -132,12 +131,7 @@ export const StarboardPlugin = zeppelinGuildPlugin<StarboardPluginType>()({
       }
     }
 
-    const error = validate(ConfigSchema, input);
-    if (error) {
-      throw error;
-    }
-
-    return input as t.TypeOf<typeof ConfigSchema>;
+    return parseIoTsSchema(ConfigSchema, input);
   },
   defaultOptions,
 
diff --git a/backend/src/plugins/Tags/TagsPlugin.ts b/backend/src/plugins/Tags/TagsPlugin.ts
index 2e0a612b..2fea2bb9 100644
--- a/backend/src/plugins/Tags/TagsPlugin.ts
+++ b/backend/src/plugins/Tags/TagsPlugin.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import { Snowflake } from "discord.js";
 import humanizeDuration from "humanize-duration";
-import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { PluginOptions } from "knub";
 import moment from "moment-timezone";
-import { StrictValidationError, validate } from "src/validatorUtils";
+import { parseIoTsSchema, StrictValidationError } from "src/validatorUtils";
 import { GuildArchives } from "../../data/GuildArchives";
 import { GuildLogs } from "../../data/GuildLogs";
 import { GuildSavedMessages } from "../../data/GuildSavedMessages";
@@ -118,12 +117,7 @@ export const TagsPlugin = zeppelinGuildPlugin<TagsPluginType>()({
       }
     }
 
-    const error = validate(ConfigSchema, input);
-    if (error) {
-      throw error;
-    }
-
-    return input as t.TypeOf<typeof ConfigSchema>;
+    return parseIoTsSchema(ConfigSchema, input);
   },
 
   beforeLoad(pluginData) {
diff --git a/backend/src/validatorUtils.ts b/backend/src/validatorUtils.ts
index 24a9c080..fff56da5 100644
--- a/backend/src/validatorUtils.ts
+++ b/backend/src/validatorUtils.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import deepDiff from "deep-diff";
-import { either, fold } from "fp-ts/lib/Either";
+import { either, fold, isLeft } from "fp-ts/lib/Either";
 import { pipe } from "fp-ts/lib/pipeable";
 import * as t from "io-ts";
 import { noop } from "./utils";
@@ -106,6 +106,14 @@ export function validate(schema: t.Type<any>, value: any): StrictValidationError
   );
 }
 
+export function parseIoTsSchema<T extends t.Type<any>>(schema: T, value: unknown): t.TypeOf<T> {
+  const decodeResult = schema.decode(value);
+  if (isLeft(decodeResult)) {
+    throw report(decodeResult);
+  }
+  return decodeResult.right;
+}
+
 /**
  * Decodes and validates the given value against the given schema while also disallowing extra properties
  * See: https://github.com/gcanti/io-ts/issues/322