diff --git a/asserts/snap_asserts.go b/asserts/snap_asserts.go
index dc3266db83e..84dcbe09a6e 100644
--- a/asserts/snap_asserts.go
+++ b/asserts/snap_asserts.go
@@ -676,6 +676,13 @@ func checkSnapRevisionWhat(headers map[string]interface{}, name, what string) (s
 	return snapRevision, nil
 }
 
+func checkOptionalSnapRevisionWhat(headers map[string]interface{}, name, what string) (snapRevision int, err error) {
+	if _, ok := headers[name]; !ok {
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+	return checkSnapRevisionWhat(headers, name, what)
+}
+
 func assembleSnapRevision(assert assertionBase) (Assertion, error) {
 	_, err := checkDigest(assert.headers, "snap-sha3-384", crypto.SHA3_384)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/asserts/validation_set.go b/asserts/validation_set.go
index e2831517b8a..67b0060a012 100644
--- a/asserts/validation_set.go
+++ b/asserts/validation_set.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 package asserts
 
 import (
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
@@ -48,8 +49,8 @@ func presencesAsStrings(presences ...Presence) []string {
 
 var validValidationSetSnapPresences = presencesAsStrings(PresenceRequired, PresenceOptional, PresenceInvalid)
 
-func checkPresence(snap map[string]interface{}, which string, valid []string) (Presence, error) {
-	presence, err := checkOptionalStringWhat(snap, "presence", which)
+func checkOptionalPresence(headers map[string]interface{}, which string, valid []string) (Presence, error) {
+	presence, err := checkOptionalStringWhat(headers, "presence", which)
 	if err != nil {
 		return Presence(""), err
 	}
@@ -59,6 +60,17 @@ func checkPresence(snap map[string]interface{}, which string, valid []string) (P
 	return Presence(presence), nil
 }
 
+func checkPresence(headers map[string]interface{}, which string, valid []string) (Presence, error) {
+	presence, err := checkExistsStringWhat(headers, "presence", which)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	if presence != "" && !strutil.ListContains(valid, presence) {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("presence %s must be one of %s", which, strings.Join(valid, "|"))
+	}
+	return Presence(presence), nil
+}
+
 // ValidationSetSnap holds the details about a snap constrained by a validation-set assertion.
 type ValidationSetSnap struct {
 	Name   string
@@ -66,6 +78,12 @@ type ValidationSetSnap struct {
 
 	Presence Presence
 
+	Revision   int
+	Components map[string]ValidationSetComponent
+}
+
+type ValidationSetComponent struct {
+	Presence Presence
 	Revision int
 }
 
@@ -95,7 +113,7 @@ func checkValidationSetSnap(snap map[string]interface{}) (*ValidationSetSnap, er
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	presence, err := checkPresence(snap, what, validValidationSetSnapPresences)
+	presence, err := checkOptionalPresence(snap, what, validValidationSetSnapPresences)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -112,11 +130,76 @@ func checkValidationSetSnap(snap map[string]interface{}) (*ValidationSetSnap, er
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf(`cannot specify revision %s at the same time as stating its presence is invalid`, what)
 	}
 
+	components, err := checkValidationSetComponents(snap, what)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	return &ValidationSetSnap{
-		Name:     name,
-		SnapID:   snapID,
+		Name:       name,
+		SnapID:     snapID,
+		Presence:   presence,
+		Revision:   snapRevision,
+		Components: components,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+func checkValidationSetComponents(snap map[string]interface{}, what string) (map[string]ValidationSetComponent, error) {
+	mapping, err := checkMapWhat(snap, "components", what)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.New(`"components" field in "snaps" header must be a map`)
+	}
+
+	if len(mapping) == 0 {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	components := make(map[string]ValidationSetComponent, len(mapping))
+	for name, comp := range mapping {
+		var parsed map[string]interface{}
+		switch c := comp.(type) {
+		case map[string]interface{}:
+			parsed = c
+		case string:
+			parsed = map[string]interface{}{"presence": c}
+		default:
+			return nil, errors.New(`each field in "components" map must be either a map or a string`)
+		}
+
+		component, err := checkValidationSetComponent(parsed, name)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		components[name] = component
+	}
+
+	return components, nil
+}
+
+func checkValidationSetComponent(comp map[string]interface{}, name string) (ValidationSetComponent, error) {
+	if err := naming.ValidateSnap(name); err != nil {
+		return ValidationSetComponent{}, fmt.Errorf("invalid component name %q", name)
+	}
+
+	what := fmt.Sprintf("of component %q", name)
+
+	presence, err := checkPresence(comp, what, validValidationSetSnapPresences)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ValidationSetComponent{}, err
+	}
+
+	revision, err := checkOptionalSnapRevisionWhat(comp, "revision", what)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ValidationSetComponent{}, err
+	}
+
+	if revision != 0 && presence == PresenceInvalid {
+		return ValidationSetComponent{}, fmt.Errorf(`cannot specify component revision %s at the same time as stating its presence is invalid`, what)
+	}
+
+	return ValidationSetComponent{
 		Presence: presence,
-		Revision: snapRevision,
+		Revision: revision,
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -125,7 +208,7 @@ func checkValidationSetSnaps(snapList interface{}) ([]*ValidationSetSnap, error)
 
 	entries, ok := snapList.([]interface{})
 	if !ok {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf(wrongHeaderType)
+		return nil, errors.New(wrongHeaderType)
 	}
 
 	seen := make(map[string]bool, len(entries))
@@ -134,7 +217,7 @@ func checkValidationSetSnaps(snapList interface{}) ([]*ValidationSetSnap, error)
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		snap, ok := entry.(map[string]interface{})
 		if !ok {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf(wrongHeaderType)
+			return nil, errors.New(wrongHeaderType)
 		}
 		valSetSnap, err := checkValidationSetSnap(snap)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/asserts/validation_set_test.go b/asserts/validation_set_test.go
index 5d9c222fb4f..42e1f726ad5 100644
--- a/asserts/validation_set_test.go
+++ b/asserts/validation_set_test.go
@@ -124,9 +124,16 @@ func (vss *validationSetSuite) TestDecodeInvalid(c *C) {
 		{"OTHER", "  -\n    name: baz-linux\n    id: bazlinuxidididididididididididid\n", `cannot list the same snap "baz-linux" multiple times`},
 		{"OTHER", "  -\n    name: baz-linux2\n    id: bazlinuxidididididididididididid\n", `cannot specify the same snap id "bazlinuxidididididididididididid" multiple times, specified for snaps "baz-linux" and "baz-linux2"`},
 		{"presence: optional\n", "presence:\n      - opt\n", `"presence" of snap "baz-linux" must be a string`},
-		{"presence: optional\n", "presence: no\n", `"presence" of snap "baz-linux" must be one of must be one of required|optional|invalid`},
+		{"presence: optional\n", "presence: no\n", `presence of snap "baz-linux" must be one of required\|optional\|invalid`},
 		{"revision: 99\n", "revision: 0\n", `"revision" of snap "baz-linux" must be >=1: 0`},
 		{"presence: optional\n", "presence: invalid\n", `cannot specify revision of snap "baz-linux" at the same time as stating its presence is invalid`},
+		{"OTHER", "    components:\n      comp: no\n", `presence of component "comp" must be one of required\|optional\|invalid`},
+		{"OTHER", "    components:\n      comp:\n        revision: 1\n        presence: invalid\n", `cannot specify component revision of component "comp" at the same time as stating its presence is invalid`},
+		{"OTHER", "    components:\n      c: optional\n", `invalid component name "c"`},
+		{"OTHER", "    components:\n      comp:\n        revision: 1\n", `"presence" of component "comp" is mandatory`},
+		{"OTHER", "    components:\n      comp:\n        - test\n", `each field in "components" map must be either a map or a string`},
+		{"OTHER", "    components:\n      comp:\n        revision: -1\n        presence: optional\n", `"revision" of component "comp" must be >=1: -1`},
+		{"OTHER", "    components: some-string", `"components" field in "snaps" header must be a map`},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range invalidTests {
@@ -167,6 +174,43 @@ func (vss *validationSetSuite) TestSnapRevisionOptional(c *C) {
 	c.Check(snaps[0].Revision, Equals, 0)
 }
 
+func (vss *validationSetSuite) TestSnapComponents(c *C) {
+	encoded := strings.Replace(validationSetExample, "TSLINE", vss.tsLine, 1)
+
+	const components = `    components:
+      string-only: optional
+      with-revision:
+        revision: 10
+        presence: required
+      no-revision:
+        presence: invalid
+`
+
+	encoded = strings.Replace(encoded, "OTHER", components, 1)
+
+	a, err := asserts.Decode([]byte(encoded))
+	c.Assert(err, IsNil)
+	c.Check(a.Type(), Equals, asserts.ValidationSetType)
+
+	valset := a.(*asserts.ValidationSet)
+	snaps := valset.Snaps()
+	c.Assert(snaps, HasLen, 1)
+	c.Assert(snaps[0].Components, HasLen, 3)
+
+	c.Check(snaps[0].Components, DeepEquals, map[string]asserts.ValidationSetComponent{
+		"string-only": {
+			Presence: asserts.PresenceOptional,
+		},
+		"with-revision": {
+			Presence: asserts.PresenceRequired,
+			Revision: 10,
+		},
+		"no-revision": {
+			Presence: asserts.PresenceInvalid,
+		},
+	})
+}
+
 func (vss *validationSetSuite) TestIsValidValidationSetName(c *C) {
 	names := []struct {
 		name  string