diff --git a/pkg/api/alertmanager.go b/pkg/api/alertmanager.go
index 2e7f8f39e20..c54c7f5f8f2 100644
--- a/pkg/api/alertmanager.go
+++ b/pkg/api/alertmanager.go
@@ -179,5 +179,9 @@ type GrafanaReceiver models.CreateAlertNotificationCommand
 
 type ApiReceiver struct {
 	config.Receiver
+	GrafanaReceivers
+}
+
+type GrafanaReceivers struct {
 	GrafanaManagedReceivers []*GrafanaReceiver `yaml:"grafana_managed_receiver_configs,omitempty" json:"grafana_managed_receiver_configs,omitempty"`
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/cortex-ruler.go b/pkg/api/cortex-ruler.go
index 12b1bb76654..2495cbdf0ed 100644
--- a/pkg/api/cortex-ruler.go
+++ b/pkg/api/cortex-ruler.go
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 package api
 
 import (
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/ngalert"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/ngalert/eval"
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
-	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/pkg/rulefmt"
 )
 
 // swagger:route Get /api/v1/rules ruler RouteGetRulesConfig
@@ -99,9 +99,9 @@ type RuleGroupConfig struct {
 }
 
 type ApiRuleNode struct {
-	Record      string         `yaml:"record,omitempty" json:"record,omitempty"`
-	Alert       string        `yaml:"alert,omitempty" json:"alert,omitempty"`
-	Expr        string         `yaml:"expr" json:"expr"`
+	Record      string            `yaml:"record,omitempty" json:"record,omitempty"`
+	Alert       string            `yaml:"alert,omitempty" json:"alert,omitempty"`
+	Expr        string            `yaml:"expr" json:"expr"`
 	For         model.Duration    `yaml:"for,omitempty" json:"for,omitempty"`
 	Labels      map[string]string `yaml:"labels,omitempty" json:"labels,omitempty"`
 	Annotations map[string]string `yaml:"annotations,omitempty" json:"annotations,omitempty"`
@@ -114,17 +114,17 @@ type ExtendedRuleNode struct {
 }
 
 // UpsertAlertDefinitionCommand is copy of the unexported struct:
-https://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/debb82e12417e82a0e2bd09e1a450065f884c1bc/pkg/services/ngalert/models.go#L85
+// https://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/debb82e12417e82a0e2bd09e1a450065f884c1bc/pkg/services/ngalert/models.go#L85
 type UpsertAlertDefinitionCommand struct {
-	Title           string            `json:"title" yaml:"title"`
+	Title string `json:"title" yaml:"title"`
 	// OrgID is an obsolete field (it will derive from the x-grafana-org-id header)
-	OrgID           int64             `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
+	OrgID int64 `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
 	// Condition is the refID of the query or expression to be evaluated
-	Condition       string            `json:"condition" yaml:"condition"`
+	Condition string `json:"condition" yaml:"condition"`
 	// Data is an array of the queries and expressions
-	Data            []eval.AlertQuery `json:"data" yaml:"data"`
+	Data []eval.AlertQuery `json:"data" yaml:"data"`
 	// IntervalSeconds is an obsolete field (it will derive from the ruleGroup interval)
-	IntervalSeconds *int64            `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
+	IntervalSeconds *int64 `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
 	// UID is set only for existing definitions
 	UID string `json:"uid" yaml:"uid"`
 
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ type ExtendedUpsertAlertDefinitionCommand struct {
 	ExecutionErrorState ExecutionErrorState    `json:"exec_err_state" yaml:"exec_err_state"`
 	Settings            map[string]interface{} `json:"settings" yaml:"settings"`
 	// internal state
-	FolderUID string `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
+	FolderUID      string   `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
 	DatasourceUIDs []string `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
-	RuleGroupUID string `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
+	RuleGroupUID   string   `json:"-" yaml:"-"`
 }
diff --git a/pkg/validation/alertconfig.go b/pkg/validation/alertconfig.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..35f1fd5d3d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/validation/alertconfig.go
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package validation
+
+import (
+	"github.com/grafana/alerting-api/pkg/api"
+	"github.com/prometheus/alertmanager/config"
+)
+
+// GrafanaAlertingConfig contains only the Grafana managed alerting configurations.
+type GrafanaAlertingConfig struct {
+	api.GrafanaReceivers
+	Route     *config.Route `yaml:"route,omitempty" json:"route,omitempty"`
+	Templates []string      `yaml:"templates" json:"templates"`
+}
+
+// func SplitAlertingConfig(apiConf api.ApiAlertingConfig) (amConfig config.Config, gConfig GrafanaAlertingConfig, err error) {
+
+// }
+
+// func MergeAlertingConfigs(amConfig config.Config, gConfig GrafanaAlertingConfig) (conf api.ApiAlertingConfig, err error) {
+// }
+
+// Routing trees must either contain only Grafana Managed receiver types or AlertManager receiver types
+// func SplitRoutes(routes []*config.Route, receivers map[string]*api.ApiReceiver) (gRoutes, amRoutes []*config.Route, err error) {
+// 	for _, route := range routes {
+// 	}
+// }
+
+func allReceivers(route *config.Route) (res []string) {
+	res = append(res, route.Receiver)
+	for _, subRoute := range route.Routes {
+		res = append(res, allReceivers(subRoute)...)
+	}
+	return res
+}
diff --git a/pkg/validation/alertconfig_test.go b/pkg/validation/alertconfig_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..48f4f624314
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/validation/alertconfig_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package validation
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/prometheus/alertmanager/config"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func Test_allReceivers(t *testing.T) {
+	input := &config.Route{
+		Receiver: "foo",
+		Routes: []*config.Route{
+			{
+				Receiver: "bar",
+				Routes: []*config.Route{
+					{
+						Receiver: "bazz",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			{
+				Receiver: "buzz",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	require.Equal(t, []string{"foo", "bar", "bazz", "buzz"}, allReceivers(input))
+}