diff --git a/po/POTFILES b/po/POTFILES
index 0f68c652eb..cb73d07904 100644
--- a/po/POTFILES
+++ b/po/POTFILES
@@ -391,6 +391,7 @@ tools/virt-host-validate-qemu.c
 tools/virt-host-validate.c
 tools/virt-login-shell-helper.c
 tools/virt-pki-query-dn.c
+tools/virt-validate-common.c
 tools/vsh-table.c
 tools/vsh.c
 tools/vsh.h
diff --git a/tools/meson.build b/tools/meson.build
index 1bb84be0be..feb6b7c3ad 100644
--- a/tools/meson.build
+++ b/tools/meson.build
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ libvirt_shell_lib = static_library(
 
 if conf.has('WITH_HOST_VALIDATE')
   virt_host_validate_sources = [
+    'virt-validate-common.c',
     'virt-host-validate.c',
     'virt-host-validate-common.c',
   ]
diff --git a/tools/virt-host-validate-bhyve.c b/tools/virt-host-validate-bhyve.c
index adb5ae1717..d7a409db9d 100644
--- a/tools/virt-host-validate-bhyve.c
+++ b/tools/virt-host-validate-bhyve.c
@@ -28,21 +28,21 @@
 #include "virt-host-validate-common.h"
 
 #define MODULE_STATUS(mod, err_msg, err_code) \
-    virHostMsgCheck("BHYVE", _("Checking for %1$s module"), #mod); \
+    virValidateCheck("BHYVE", _("Checking for %1$s module"), #mod); \
     if (mod ## _loaded) { \
-        virHostMsgPass(); \
+        virValidatePass(); \
     } else { \
-        virHostMsgFail(err_code, \
-                       _("%1$s module is not loaded, " err_msg), \
+        virValidateFail(err_code, \
+                        _("%1$s module is not loaded, " err_msg), \
                         #mod); \
         ret = -1; \
     }
 
 #define MODULE_STATUS_FAIL(mod, err_msg) \
-    MODULE_STATUS(mod, err_msg, VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL)
+    MODULE_STATUS(mod, err_msg, VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL)
 
 #define MODULE_STATUS_WARN(mod, err_msg) \
-    MODULE_STATUS(mod, err_msg, VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN)
+    MODULE_STATUS(mod, err_msg, VIR_VALIDATE_WARN)
 
 
 int virHostValidateBhyve(void)
diff --git a/tools/virt-host-validate-ch.c b/tools/virt-host-validate-ch.c
index 3f96423836..e48c8c825f 100644
--- a/tools/virt-host-validate-ch.c
+++ b/tools/virt-host-validate-ch.c
@@ -57,21 +57,21 @@ int virHostValidateCh(void)
     }
 
     if (hasVirtFlag) {
-        virHostMsgCheck("CH", "%s", _("Checking for hardware virtualization"));
+        virValidateCheck("CH", "%s", _("Checking for hardware virtualization"));
         if (hasHwVirt) {
-            virHostMsgPass();
+            virValidatePass();
         } else {
-            virHostMsgFail(VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
-                           _("Only emulated CPUs are available, performance will be significantly limited"));
+            virValidateFail(VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                            _("Only emulated CPUs are available, performance will be significantly limited"));
             ret = -1;
         }
     }
 
     if (hasHwVirt || !hasVirtFlag) {
-        if (virHostValidateDeviceExists("CH", "/dev/kvm", VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+        if (virHostValidateDeviceExists("CH", "/dev/kvm", VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                         kvmhint) < 0)
             ret = -1;
-        else if (virHostValidateDeviceAccessible("CH", "/dev/kvm", VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+        else if (virHostValidateDeviceAccessible("CH", "/dev/kvm", VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                                  _("Check /dev/kvm is world writable or you are in a group that is allowed to access it")) < 0)
             ret = -1;
     }
diff --git a/tools/virt-host-validate-common.c b/tools/virt-host-validate-common.c
index 66f08ac2b3..ad06dfb245 100644
--- a/tools/virt-host-validate-common.c
+++ b/tools/virt-host-validate-common.c
@@ -45,144 +45,58 @@ VIR_ENUM_IMPL(virHostValidateCPUFlag,
               "158",
               "sev");
 
-static bool quiet;
-
-void virHostMsgSetQuiet(bool quietFlag)
-{
-    quiet = quietFlag;
-}
-
-void virHostMsgCheck(const char *prefix,
-                     const char *format,
-                     ...)
-{
-    va_list args;
-    g_autofree char *msg = NULL;
-
-    if (quiet)
-        return;
-
-    va_start(args, format);
-    msg = g_strdup_vprintf(format, args);
-    va_end(args);
-
-    fprintf(stdout, "%1$6s: %2$-69s: ", prefix, msg);
-}
-
-static bool virHostMsgWantEscape(void)
-{
-    static bool detectTty = true;
-    static bool wantEscape;
-    if (detectTty) {
-        if (isatty(STDOUT_FILENO))
-            wantEscape = true;
-        detectTty = false;
-    }
-    return wantEscape;
-}
-
-void virHostMsgPass(void)
-{
-    if (quiet)
-        return;
-
-    if (virHostMsgWantEscape())
-        fprintf(stdout, "\033[32m%s\033[0m\n", _("PASS"));
-    else
-        fprintf(stdout, "%s\n", _("PASS"));
-}
-
-
-static const char * failMessages[] = {
-    N_("FAIL"),
-    N_("WARN"),
-    N_("NOTE"),
-};
-
-G_STATIC_ASSERT(G_N_ELEMENTS(failMessages) == VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_LAST);
-
-static const char *failEscapeCodes[] = {
-    "\033[31m",
-    "\033[33m",
-    "\033[34m",
-};
-
-G_STATIC_ASSERT(G_N_ELEMENTS(failEscapeCodes) == VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_LAST);
-
-void virHostMsgFail(virHostValidateLevel level,
-                    const char *format,
-                    ...)
-{
-    va_list args;
-    g_autofree char *msg = NULL;
-
-    if (quiet)
-        return;
-
-    va_start(args, format);
-    msg = g_strdup_vprintf(format, args);
-    va_end(args);
-
-    if (virHostMsgWantEscape())
-        fprintf(stdout, "%s%s\033[0m (%s)\n",
-                failEscapeCodes[level], _(failMessages[level]), msg);
-    else
-        fprintf(stdout, "%s (%s)\n",
-                _(failMessages[level]), msg);
-}
-
 
 int virHostValidateDeviceExists(const char *hvname,
                                 const char *dev_name,
-                                virHostValidateLevel level,
+                                virValidateLevel level,
                                 const char *hint)
 {
-    virHostMsgCheck(hvname, _("Checking if device '%1$s' exists"), dev_name);
+    virValidateCheck(hvname, _("Checking if device '%1$s' exists"), dev_name);
 
     if (access(dev_name, F_OK) < 0) {
-        virHostMsgFail(level, "%s", hint);
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+        virValidateFail(level, "%s", hint);
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     }
 
-    virHostMsgPass();
+    virValidatePass();
     return 0;
 }
 
 
 int virHostValidateDeviceAccessible(const char *hvname,
                                     const char *dev_name,
-                                    virHostValidateLevel level,
+                                    virValidateLevel level,
                                     const char *hint)
 {
-    virHostMsgCheck(hvname, _("Checking if device '%1$s' is accessible"), dev_name);
+    virValidateCheck(hvname, _("Checking if device '%1$s' is accessible"), dev_name);
 
     if (access(dev_name, R_OK|W_OK) < 0) {
-        virHostMsgFail(level, "%s", hint);
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+        virValidateFail(level, "%s", hint);
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     }
 
-    virHostMsgPass();
+    virValidatePass();
     return 0;
 }
 
 
 int virHostValidateNamespace(const char *hvname,
                              const char *ns_name,
-                             virHostValidateLevel level,
+                             virValidateLevel level,
                              const char *hint)
 {
     char nspath[100];
 
-    virHostMsgCheck(hvname, _("Checking for namespace '%1$s'"), ns_name);
+    virValidateCheck(hvname, _("Checking for namespace '%1$s'"), ns_name);
 
     g_snprintf(nspath, sizeof(nspath), "/proc/self/ns/%s", ns_name);
 
     if (access(nspath, F_OK) < 0) {
-        virHostMsgFail(level, "%s", hint);
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+        virValidateFail(level, "%s", hint);
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     }
 
-    virHostMsgPass();
+    virValidatePass();
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -248,7 +162,7 @@ virBitmap *virHostValidateGetCPUFlags(void)
 
 int virHostValidateLinuxKernel(const char *hvname,
                                int version,
-                               virHostValidateLevel level,
+                               virValidateLevel level,
                                const char *hint)
 {
     struct utsname uts;
@@ -256,26 +170,26 @@ int virHostValidateLinuxKernel(const char *hvname,
 
     uname(&uts);
 
-    virHostMsgCheck(hvname, _("Checking for Linux >= %1$d.%2$d.%3$d"),
-                    ((version >> 16) & 0xff),
-                    ((version >> 8) & 0xff),
-                    (version & 0xff));
+    virValidateCheck(hvname, _("Checking for Linux >= %1$d.%2$d.%3$d"),
+                     ((version >> 16) & 0xff),
+                     ((version >> 8) & 0xff),
+                     (version & 0xff));
 
     if (STRNEQ(uts.sysname, "Linux")) {
-        virHostMsgFail(level, "%s", hint);
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+        virValidateFail(level, "%s", hint);
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     }
 
     if (virStringParseVersion(&thisversion, uts.release, true) < 0) {
-        virHostMsgFail(level, "%s", hint);
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+        virValidateFail(level, "%s", hint);
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     }
 
     if (thisversion < version) {
-        virHostMsgFail(level, "%s", hint);
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+        virValidateFail(level, "%s", hint);
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     } else {
-        virHostMsgPass();
+        virValidatePass();
         return 0;
     }
 }
@@ -283,7 +197,7 @@ int virHostValidateLinuxKernel(const char *hvname,
 #ifdef __linux__
 int virHostValidateCGroupControllers(const char *hvname,
                                      int controllers,
-                                     virHostValidateLevel level)
+                                     virValidateLevel level)
 {
     g_autoptr(virCgroup) group = NULL;
     int ret = 0;
@@ -292,7 +206,7 @@ int virHostValidateCGroupControllers(const char *hvname,
     if (virCgroupNew("/", -1, &group) < 0) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Unable to initialize cgroups: %s\n",
                 virGetLastErrorMessage());
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     }
 
     for (i = 0; i < VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_LAST; i++) {
@@ -302,15 +216,15 @@ int virHostValidateCGroupControllers(const char *hvname,
         if (!(controllers & flag))
             continue;
 
-        virHostMsgCheck(hvname, _("Checking for cgroup '%1$s' controller support"), cg_name);
+        virValidateCheck(hvname, _("Checking for cgroup '%1$s' controller support"), cg_name);
 
         if (!virCgroupHasController(group, i)) {
-            ret = VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
-            virHostMsgFail(level, "Enable '%s' in kernel Kconfig file or "
-                           "mount/enable cgroup controller in your system",
-                           cg_name);
+            ret = VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level, "Enable '%s' in kernel Kconfig file or "
+                            "mount/enable cgroup controller in your system",
+                            cg_name);
         } else {
-            virHostMsgPass();
+            virValidatePass();
         }
     }
 
@@ -319,15 +233,15 @@ int virHostValidateCGroupControllers(const char *hvname,
 #else /*  !__linux__ */
 int virHostValidateCGroupControllers(const char *hvname G_GNUC_UNUSED,
                                      int controllers G_GNUC_UNUSED,
-                                     virHostValidateLevel level)
+                                     virValidateLevel level)
 {
-    virHostMsgFail(level, "%s", "This platform does not support cgroups");
-    return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+    virValidateFail(level, "%s", "This platform does not support cgroups");
+    return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
 }
 #endif /* !__linux__ */
 
 int virHostValidateIOMMU(const char *hvname,
-                         virHostValidateLevel level)
+                         virValidateLevel level)
 {
     g_autoptr(virBitmap) flags = NULL;
     struct stat sb;
@@ -337,7 +251,7 @@ int virHostValidateIOMMU(const char *hvname,
     struct dirent *dent;
     int rc;
 
-    virHostMsgCheck(hvname, "%s", _("Checking for device assignment IOMMU support"));
+    virValidateCheck(hvname, "%s", _("Checking for device assignment IOMMU support"));
 
     flags = virHostValidateGetCPUFlags();
 
@@ -348,28 +262,28 @@ int virHostValidateIOMMU(const char *hvname,
 
     if (isIntel) {
         if (access("/sys/firmware/acpi/tables/DMAR", F_OK) == 0) {
-            virHostMsgPass();
+            virValidatePass();
             bootarg = "intel_iommu=on";
         } else {
-            virHostMsgFail(level,
-                           "No ACPI DMAR table found, IOMMU either "
-                           "disabled in BIOS or not supported by this "
-                           "hardware platform");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level,
+                            "No ACPI DMAR table found, IOMMU either "
+                            "disabled in BIOS or not supported by this "
+                            "hardware platform");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
         }
     } else if (isAMD) {
         if (access("/sys/firmware/acpi/tables/IVRS", F_OK) == 0) {
-            virHostMsgPass();
+            virValidatePass();
             bootarg = "iommu=pt iommu=1";
         } else {
-            virHostMsgFail(level,
-                           "No ACPI IVRS table found, IOMMU either "
-                           "disabled in BIOS or not supported by this "
-                           "hardware platform");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level,
+                            "No ACPI IVRS table found, IOMMU either "
+                            "disabled in BIOS or not supported by this "
+                            "hardware platform");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
         }
     } else if (ARCH_IS_PPC64(arch)) {
-        virHostMsgPass();
+        virValidatePass();
     } else if (ARCH_IS_S390(arch)) {
         g_autoptr(DIR) dir = NULL;
 
@@ -378,41 +292,41 @@ int virHostValidateIOMMU(const char *hvname,
          * no PCI devices the directory is still there but is
          * empty. */
         if (!virDirOpen(&dir, "/sys/bus/pci/devices")) {
-            virHostMsgFail(VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_NOTE,
-                           "Skipped - PCI support disabled");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_NOTE);
+            virValidateFail(VIR_VALIDATE_NOTE,
+                            "Skipped - PCI support disabled");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(VIR_VALIDATE_NOTE);
         }
         rc = virDirRead(dir, &dent, NULL);
         if (rc <= 0) {
-            virHostMsgFail(VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_NOTE,
-                           "Skipped - No PCI devices are online");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_NOTE);
+            virValidateFail(VIR_VALIDATE_NOTE,
+                            "Skipped - No PCI devices are online");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(VIR_VALIDATE_NOTE);
         }
-        virHostMsgPass();
+        virValidatePass();
     } else if (ARCH_IS_ARM(arch)) {
         if (access("/sys/firmware/acpi/tables/IORT", F_OK) != 0) {
-            virHostMsgFail(level,
-                           "No ACPI IORT table found, IOMMU not "
-                           "supported by this hardware platform");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level,
+                            "No ACPI IORT table found, IOMMU not "
+                            "supported by this hardware platform");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
         } else {
             rc = virAcpiHasSMMU();
             if (rc < 0) {
-                virHostMsgFail(level,
-                               "Failed to parse ACPI IORT table");
-                return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+                virValidateFail(level,
+                                "Failed to parse ACPI IORT table");
+                return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
             } else if (rc == 0) {
-                virHostMsgFail(level,
-                               "No SMMU found");
-                return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+                virValidateFail(level,
+                                "No SMMU found");
+                return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
             } else {
-                virHostMsgPass();
+                virValidatePass();
             }
         }
     } else {
-        virHostMsgFail(level,
-                       "Unknown if this platform has IOMMU support");
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+        virValidateFail(level,
+                        "Unknown if this platform has IOMMU support");
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     }
 
 
@@ -423,17 +337,17 @@ int virHostValidateIOMMU(const char *hvname,
     if (!S_ISDIR(sb.st_mode))
         return 0;
 
-    virHostMsgCheck(hvname, "%s", _("Checking if IOMMU is enabled by kernel"));
+    virValidateCheck(hvname, "%s", _("Checking if IOMMU is enabled by kernel"));
     if (sb.st_nlink <= 2) {
         if (bootarg)
-            virHostMsgFail(level,
-                           "IOMMU appears to be disabled in kernel. "
-                           "Add %s to kernel cmdline arguments", bootarg);
+            virValidateFail(level,
+                            "IOMMU appears to be disabled in kernel. "
+                            "Add %s to kernel cmdline arguments", bootarg);
         else
-            virHostMsgFail(level, "IOMMU capability not compiled into kernel.");
-        return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level, "IOMMU capability not compiled into kernel.");
+        return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
     }
-    virHostMsgPass();
+    virValidatePass();
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -466,7 +380,7 @@ bool virHostKernelModuleIsLoaded(const char *module)
 
 
 int virHostValidateSecureGuests(const char *hvname,
-                                virHostValidateLevel level)
+                                virValidateLevel level)
 {
     g_autoptr(virBitmap) flags = NULL;
     bool hasFac158 = false;
@@ -483,13 +397,13 @@ int virHostValidateSecureGuests(const char *hvname,
     else if (flags && virBitmapIsBitSet(flags, VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_CPU_FLAG_SEV))
         hasAMDSev = true;
 
-    virHostMsgCheck(hvname, "%s", _("Checking for secure guest support"));
+    virValidateCheck(hvname, "%s", _("Checking for secure guest support"));
     if (ARCH_IS_S390(arch)) {
         if (hasFac158) {
             if (!virFileIsDir("/sys/firmware/uv")) {
-                virHostMsgFail(level, "IBM Secure Execution not supported by "
-                                      "the currently used kernel");
-                return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+                virValidateFail(level, "IBM Secure Execution not supported by "
+                                "the currently used kernel");
+                return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
             }
 
             /* we're prefix matching rather than equality matching here, because
@@ -501,47 +415,47 @@ int virHostValidateSecureGuests(const char *hvname,
                                            G_N_ELEMENTS(kIBMValues),
                                            VIR_KERNEL_CMDLINE_FLAGS_SEARCH_FIRST |
                                            VIR_KERNEL_CMDLINE_FLAGS_CMP_PREFIX)) {
-                virHostMsgPass();
+                virValidatePass();
                 return 1;
             } else {
-                virHostMsgFail(level,
-                               "IBM Secure Execution appears to be disabled "
-                               "in kernel. Add prot_virt=1 to kernel cmdline "
-                               "arguments");
-                return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+                virValidateFail(level,
+                                "IBM Secure Execution appears to be disabled "
+                                "in kernel. Add prot_virt=1 to kernel cmdline "
+                                "arguments");
+                return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
             }
         } else {
-            virHostMsgFail(level, "Hardware or firmware does not provide "
-                                  "support for IBM Secure Execution");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level, "Hardware or firmware does not provide "
+                            "support for IBM Secure Execution");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
         }
     } else if (hasAMDSev) {
         if (virFileReadValueString(&mod_value, "/sys/module/kvm_amd/parameters/sev") < 0) {
-            virHostMsgFail(level, "AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization not "
-                                  "supported by the currently used kernel");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level, "AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization not "
+                            "supported by the currently used kernel");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
         }
 
         if (mod_value[0] != '1' && mod_value[0] != 'Y' && mod_value[0] != 'y') {
-            virHostMsgFail(level,
-                           "AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization appears to be "
-                           "disabled in kernel. Add kvm_amd.sev=1 "
-                           "to the kernel cmdline arguments");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level,
+                            "AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization appears to be "
+                            "disabled in kernel. Add kvm_amd.sev=1 "
+                            "to the kernel cmdline arguments");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
         }
 
         if (virFileExists("/dev/sev")) {
-            virHostMsgPass();
+            virValidatePass();
             return 1;
         } else {
-            virHostMsgFail(level,
-                           "AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization appears to be "
-                           "disabled in firmware.");
-            return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+            virValidateFail(level,
+                            "AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization appears to be "
+                            "disabled in firmware.");
+            return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
         }
     }
 
-    virHostMsgFail(level,
-                   "Unknown if this platform has Secure Guest support");
-    return VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
+    virValidateFail(level,
+                    "Unknown if this platform has Secure Guest support");
+    return VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level);
 }
diff --git a/tools/virt-host-validate-common.h b/tools/virt-host-validate-common.h
index 9334fa8588..7fb3545fe3 100644
--- a/tools/virt-host-validate-common.h
+++ b/tools/virt-host-validate-common.h
@@ -24,14 +24,7 @@
 #include "internal.h"
 #include "virbitmap.h"
 #include "virenum.h"
-
-typedef enum {
-    VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
-    VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN,
-    VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_NOTE,
-
-    VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_LAST,
-} virHostValidateLevel;
+#include "virt-validate-common.h"
 
 typedef enum {
     VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_CPU_FLAG_VMX = 0,
@@ -45,61 +38,36 @@ typedef enum {
 
 VIR_ENUM_DECL(virHostValidateCPUFlag);
 
-/**
- * VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE
- * @level: the virHostValidateLevel to be checked
- *
- * This macro is to be used in to return a failures based on the
- * virHostValidateLevel use in the function.
- *
- * If the virHostValidateLevel is VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL, -1 is returned.
- * 0 is returned otherwise (as the virHosValidateLevel is then either a
- * Warn or a Note).
- */
-
-#define VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level) (level == VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL) ? -1 : 0
-
-void virHostMsgSetQuiet(bool quietFlag);
-
-void virHostMsgCheck(const char *prefix,
-                     const char *format,
-                     ...) G_GNUC_PRINTF(2, 3);
-
-void virHostMsgPass(void);
-void virHostMsgFail(virHostValidateLevel level,
-                    const char *format,
-                    ...) G_GNUC_PRINTF(2, 3);
-
 int virHostValidateDeviceExists(const char *hvname,
                                 const char *dev_name,
-                                virHostValidateLevel level,
+                                virValidateLevel level,
                                 const char *hint);
 
 int virHostValidateDeviceAccessible(const char *hvname,
                                     const char *dev_name,
-                                    virHostValidateLevel level,
+                                    virValidateLevel level,
                                     const char *hint);
 
 virBitmap *virHostValidateGetCPUFlags(void);
 
 int virHostValidateLinuxKernel(const char *hvname,
                                int version,
-                               virHostValidateLevel level,
+                               virValidateLevel level,
                                const char *hint);
 
 int virHostValidateNamespace(const char *hvname,
                              const char *ns_name,
-                             virHostValidateLevel level,
+                             virValidateLevel level,
                              const char *hint);
 
 int virHostValidateCGroupControllers(const char *hvname,
                                      int controllers,
-                                     virHostValidateLevel level);
+                                     virValidateLevel level);
 
 int virHostValidateIOMMU(const char *hvname,
-                         virHostValidateLevel level);
+                         virValidateLevel level);
 
 int virHostValidateSecureGuests(const char *hvname,
-                                virHostValidateLevel level);
+                                virValidateLevel level);
 
 bool virHostKernelModuleIsLoaded(const char *module);
diff --git a/tools/virt-host-validate-lxc.c b/tools/virt-host-validate-lxc.c
index 8613f37cc7..5d6dbdf647 100644
--- a/tools/virt-host-validate-lxc.c
+++ b/tools/virt-host-validate-lxc.c
@@ -30,37 +30,37 @@ int virHostValidateLXC(void)
     int ret = 0;
 
     if (virHostValidateLinuxKernel("LXC", (2 << 16) | (6 << 8) | 26,
-                                   VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                   VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                    _("Upgrade to a kernel supporting namespaces")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     if (virHostValidateNamespace("LXC", "ipc",
-                                 VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                 VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                  _("IPC namespace support is required")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     if (virHostValidateNamespace("LXC", "mnt",
-                                 VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                 VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                  _("Mount namespace support is required")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     if (virHostValidateNamespace("LXC", "pid",
-                                 VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                 VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                  _("PID namespace support is required")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     if (virHostValidateNamespace("LXC", "uts",
-                                 VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                 VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                  _("UTS namespace support is required")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     if (virHostValidateNamespace("LXC", "net",
-                                 VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN,
+                                 VIR_VALIDATE_WARN,
                                  _("Network namespace support is recommended")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     if (virHostValidateNamespace("LXC", "user",
-                                 VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN,
+                                 VIR_VALIDATE_WARN,
                                  _("User namespace support is recommended")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
@@ -72,13 +72,13 @@ int virHostValidateLXC(void)
                                          (1 << VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_DEVICES) |
                                          (1 << VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_FREEZER) |
                                          (1 << VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_BLKIO),
-                                         VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL) < 0) {
+                                         VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL) < 0) {
         ret = -1;
     }
 
 #if WITH_FUSE
     if (virHostValidateDeviceExists("LXC", "/sys/fs/fuse/connections",
-                                    VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                    VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                     _("Load the 'fuse' module to enable /proc/ overrides")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 #endif
diff --git a/tools/virt-host-validate-qemu.c b/tools/virt-host-validate-qemu.c
index b685fa01ba..833bb1b914 100644
--- a/tools/virt-host-validate-qemu.c
+++ b/tools/virt-host-validate-qemu.c
@@ -64,44 +64,44 @@ int virHostValidateQEMU(void)
     }
 
     if (hasVirtFlag) {
-        virHostMsgCheck("QEMU", "%s", _("Checking for hardware virtualization"));
+        virValidateCheck("QEMU", "%s", _("Checking for hardware virtualization"));
         if (hasHwVirt) {
-            virHostMsgPass();
+            virValidatePass();
         } else {
-            virHostMsgFail(VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
-                           _("Host not compatible with KVM; HW virtualization CPU features not found. Only emulated CPUs are available; performance will be significantly limited"));
+            virValidateFail(VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                            _("Host not compatible with KVM; HW virtualization CPU features not found. Only emulated CPUs are available; performance will be significantly limited"));
             ret = -1;
         }
     }
 
     if (hasHwVirt || !hasVirtFlag) {
         if (virHostValidateDeviceExists("QEMU", "/dev/kvm",
-                                        VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                        VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                         kvmhint) <0)
             ret = -1;
         else if (virHostValidateDeviceAccessible("QEMU", "/dev/kvm",
-                                                 VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                                 VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                                  _("Check /dev/kvm is world writable or you are in a group that is allowed to access it")) < 0)
             ret = -1;
     }
 
     if (arch == VIR_ARCH_PPC64 || arch == VIR_ARCH_PPC64LE) {
-        virHostMsgCheck("QEMU", "%s", _("Checking for PowerPC KVM module loaded"));
+        virValidateCheck("QEMU", "%s", _("Checking for PowerPC KVM module loaded"));
 
         if (!virHostKernelModuleIsLoaded("kvm_hv"))
-            virHostMsgFail(VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN,
-                          _("Load kvm_hv for better performance"));
+            virValidateFail(VIR_VALIDATE_WARN,
+                            _("Load kvm_hv for better performance"));
         else
-            virHostMsgPass();
+            virValidatePass();
     }
 
     if (virHostValidateDeviceExists("QEMU", "/dev/vhost-net",
-                                    VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN,
+                                    VIR_VALIDATE_WARN,
                                     _("Load the 'vhost_net' module to improve performance of virtio networking")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     if (virHostValidateDeviceExists("QEMU", "/dev/net/tun",
-                                    VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+                                    VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
                                     _("Load the 'tun' module to enable networking for QEMU guests")) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
@@ -112,16 +112,16 @@ int virHostValidateQEMU(void)
                                          (1 << VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_CPUSET) |
                                          (1 << VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_DEVICES) |
                                          (1 << VIR_CGROUP_CONTROLLER_BLKIO),
-                                         VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN) < 0) {
+                                         VIR_VALIDATE_WARN) < 0) {
         ret = -1;
     }
 
     if (virHostValidateIOMMU("QEMU",
-                             VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN) < 0)
+                             VIR_VALIDATE_WARN) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     if (virHostValidateSecureGuests("QEMU",
-                                    VIR_HOST_VALIDATE_WARN) < 0)
+                                    VIR_VALIDATE_WARN) < 0)
         ret = -1;
 
     return ret;
diff --git a/tools/virt-host-validate.c b/tools/virt-host-validate.c
index d9fa52c310..426648a5d3 100644
--- a/tools/virt-host-validate.c
+++ b/tools/virt-host-validate.c
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
     if (argc > 1)
         hvname = argv[optind];
 
-    virHostMsgSetQuiet(quiet);
+    virValidateSetQuiet(quiet);
 
 #if WITH_QEMU
     if (!hvname || STREQ(hvname, "qemu")) {
diff --git a/tools/virt-validate-common.c b/tools/virt-validate-common.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9768fd9208
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/virt-validate-common.c
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+/*
+ * virt-validate-common.c: Sanity check helper APIs
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2012-2024 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library.  If not, see
+ * <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ */
+
+#include <config.h>
+
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "virt-validate-common.h"
+
+static bool quiet;
+
+void virValidateSetQuiet(bool quietFlag)
+{
+    quiet = quietFlag;
+}
+
+void virValidateCheck(const char *prefix,
+                      const char *format,
+                      ...)
+{
+    va_list args;
+    g_autofree char *msg = NULL;
+
+    if (quiet)
+        return;
+
+    va_start(args, format);
+    msg = g_strdup_vprintf(format, args);
+    va_end(args);
+
+    fprintf(stdout, "%1$6s: %2$-69s: ", prefix, msg);
+}
+
+static bool virValidateWantEscape(void)
+{
+    static bool detectTty = true;
+    static bool wantEscape;
+    if (detectTty) {
+        if (isatty(STDOUT_FILENO))
+            wantEscape = true;
+        detectTty = false;
+    }
+    return wantEscape;
+}
+
+void virValidatePass(void)
+{
+    if (quiet)
+        return;
+
+    if (virValidateWantEscape())
+        fprintf(stdout, "\033[32m%s\033[0m\n", _("PASS"));
+    else
+        fprintf(stdout, "%s\n", _("PASS"));
+}
+
+
+static const char * failMessages[] = {
+    N_("FAIL"),
+    N_("WARN"),
+    N_("NOTE"),
+};
+
+G_STATIC_ASSERT(G_N_ELEMENTS(failMessages) == VIR_VALIDATE_LAST);
+
+static const char *failEscapeCodes[] = {
+    "\033[31m",
+    "\033[33m",
+    "\033[34m",
+};
+
+G_STATIC_ASSERT(G_N_ELEMENTS(failEscapeCodes) == VIR_VALIDATE_LAST);
+
+void virValidateFail(virValidateLevel level,
+                     const char *format,
+                     ...)
+{
+    va_list args;
+    g_autofree char *msg = NULL;
+
+    if (quiet)
+        return;
+
+    va_start(args, format);
+    msg = g_strdup_vprintf(format, args);
+    va_end(args);
+
+    if (virValidateWantEscape())
+        fprintf(stdout, "%s%s\033[0m (%s)\n",
+                failEscapeCodes[level], _(failMessages[level]), msg);
+    else
+        fprintf(stdout, "%s (%s)\n",
+                _(failMessages[level]), msg);
+}
diff --git a/tools/virt-validate-common.h b/tools/virt-validate-common.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7f7c373a66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/virt-validate-common.h
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/*
+ * virt-validate-common.h: Sanity check helper APIs
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2012-2024 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library.  If not, see
+ * <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include "internal.h"
+
+typedef enum {
+    VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL,
+    VIR_VALIDATE_WARN,
+    VIR_VALIDATE_NOTE,
+
+    VIR_VALIDATE_LAST,
+} virValidateLevel;
+
+/**
+ * VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE
+ * @level: the virValidateLevel to be checked
+ *
+ * This macro is to be used in to return a failures based on the
+ * virValidateLevel use in the function.
+ *
+ * If the virValidateLevel is VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL, -1 is returned.
+ * 0 is returned otherwise (as the virValidateLevel is then either a
+ * Warn or a Note).
+ */
+
+#define VIR_VALIDATE_FAILURE(level) (level == VIR_VALIDATE_FAIL) ? -1 : 0
+
+void virValidateSetQuiet(bool quietFlag);
+
+void virValidateCheck(const char *prefix,
+                      const char *format,
+                      ...) G_GNUC_PRINTF(2, 3);
+
+void virValidatePass(void);
+void virValidateFail(virValidateLevel level,
+                     const char *format,
+                     ...) G_GNUC_PRINTF(2, 3);