diff --git a/apps/dashvalidator/pkg/validator/errors_test.go b/apps/dashvalidator/pkg/validator/errors_test.go
index 4ca58ec8075..d3fb8153ea7 100644
--- a/apps/dashvalidator/pkg/validator/errors_test.go
+++ b/apps/dashvalidator/pkg/validator/errors_test.go
@@ -4,133 +4,70 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"net/http"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func TestNewDatasourceNotFoundError(t *testing.T) {
 	err := NewDatasourceNotFoundError("test-uid", "org-1")
 
-	if err.Code != ErrCodeDatasourceNotFound {
-		t.Errorf("expected error code %s, got %s", ErrCodeDatasourceNotFound, err.Code)
-	}
-
-	if err.StatusCode != http.StatusNotFound {
-		t.Errorf("expected status code %d, got %d", http.StatusNotFound, err.StatusCode)
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["datasourceUID"] != "test-uid" {
-		t.Errorf("expected datasourceUID detail to be 'test-uid', got %v", err.Details["datasourceUID"])
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["namespace"] != "org-1" {
-		t.Errorf("expected namespace detail to be 'org-1', got %v", err.Details["namespace"])
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, ErrCodeDatasourceNotFound, err.Code)
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusNotFound, err.StatusCode)
+	require.Equal(t, "test-uid", err.Details["datasourceUID"])
+	require.Equal(t, "org-1", err.Details["namespace"])
 }
 
 func TestNewDatasourceWrongTypeError(t *testing.T) {
 	err := NewDatasourceWrongTypeError("test-uid", "prometheus", "influxdb")
 
-	if err.Code != ErrCodeDatasourceWrongType {
-		t.Errorf("expected error code %s, got %s", ErrCodeDatasourceWrongType, err.Code)
-	}
-
-	if err.StatusCode != http.StatusBadRequest {
-		t.Errorf("expected status code %d, got %d", http.StatusBadRequest, err.StatusCode)
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["expectedType"] != "prometheus" {
-		t.Errorf("expected expectedType detail to be 'prometheus', got %v", err.Details["expectedType"])
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["actualType"] != "influxdb" {
-		t.Errorf("expected actualType detail to be 'influxdb', got %v", err.Details["actualType"])
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, ErrCodeDatasourceWrongType, err.Code)
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusBadRequest, err.StatusCode)
+	require.Equal(t, "prometheus", err.Details["expectedType"])
+	require.Equal(t, "influxdb", err.Details["actualType"])
 }
 
 func TestNewDatasourceUnreachableError(t *testing.T) {
 	cause := errors.New("connection refused")
 	err := NewDatasourceUnreachableError("test-uid", "http://localhost:9090", cause)
 
-	if err.Code != ErrCodeDatasourceUnreachable {
-		t.Errorf("expected error code %s, got %s", ErrCodeDatasourceUnreachable, err.Code)
-	}
-
-	if err.StatusCode != http.StatusServiceUnavailable {
-		t.Errorf("expected status code %d, got %d", http.StatusServiceUnavailable, err.StatusCode)
-	}
-
-	if err.Cause != cause {
-		t.Errorf("expected cause to be set")
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["url"] != "http://localhost:9090" {
-		t.Errorf("expected url detail to be 'http://localhost:9090', got %v", err.Details["url"])
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, ErrCodeDatasourceUnreachable, err.Code)
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusServiceUnavailable, err.StatusCode)
+	require.Equal(t, cause, err.Cause)
+	require.Equal(t, "http://localhost:9090", err.Details["url"])
 }
 
 func TestNewAPIUnavailableError(t *testing.T) {
 	err := NewAPIUnavailableError(503, "service unavailable", nil)
 
-	if err.Code != ErrCodeAPIUnavailable {
-		t.Errorf("expected error code %s, got %s", ErrCodeAPIUnavailable, err.Code)
-	}
-
-	if err.StatusCode != http.StatusBadGateway {
-		t.Errorf("expected status code %d, got %d", http.StatusBadGateway, err.StatusCode)
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["upstreamStatus"] != 503 {
-		t.Errorf("expected upstreamStatus detail to be 503, got %v", err.Details["upstreamStatus"])
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, ErrCodeAPIUnavailable, err.Code)
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusBadGateway, err.StatusCode)
+	require.Equal(t, 503, err.Details["upstreamStatus"])
 }
 
 func TestNewAPIInvalidResponseError(t *testing.T) {
 	cause := errors.New("invalid JSON")
 	err := NewAPIInvalidResponseError("missing data field", cause)
 
-	if err.Code != ErrCodeAPIInvalidResponse {
-		t.Errorf("expected error code %s, got %s", ErrCodeAPIInvalidResponse, err.Code)
-	}
-
-	if err.StatusCode != http.StatusBadGateway {
-		t.Errorf("expected status code %d, got %d", http.StatusBadGateway, err.StatusCode)
-	}
-
-	if err.Cause != cause {
-		t.Errorf("expected cause to be set")
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, ErrCodeAPIInvalidResponse, err.Code)
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusBadGateway, err.StatusCode)
+	require.Equal(t, cause, err.Cause)
 }
 
 func TestNewAPITimeoutError(t *testing.T) {
 	cause := errors.New("context deadline exceeded")
 	err := NewAPITimeoutError("http://localhost:9090/api/v1/query", cause)
 
-	if err.Code != ErrCodeAPITimeout {
-		t.Errorf("expected error code %s, got %s", ErrCodeAPITimeout, err.Code)
-	}
-
-	if err.StatusCode != http.StatusGatewayTimeout {
-		t.Errorf("expected status code %d, got %d", http.StatusGatewayTimeout, err.StatusCode)
-	}
-
-	if err.Cause != cause {
-		t.Errorf("expected cause to be set")
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, ErrCodeAPITimeout, err.Code)
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusGatewayTimeout, err.StatusCode)
+	require.Equal(t, cause, err.Cause)
 }
 
 func TestNewDatasourceAuthError(t *testing.T) {
 	err := NewDatasourceAuthError("test-uid", 401)
 
-	if err.Code != ErrCodeDatasourceAuth {
-		t.Errorf("expected error code %s, got %s", ErrCodeDatasourceAuth, err.Code)
-	}
-
-	if err.StatusCode != http.StatusUnauthorized {
-		t.Errorf("expected status code %d, got %d", http.StatusUnauthorized, err.StatusCode)
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["upstreamStatus"] != 401 {
-		t.Errorf("expected upstreamStatus detail to be 401, got %v", err.Details["upstreamStatus"])
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, ErrCodeDatasourceAuth, err.Code)
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusUnauthorized, err.StatusCode)
+	require.Equal(t, 401, err.Details["upstreamStatus"])
 }
 
 func TestValidationErrorChaining(t *testing.T) {
@@ -140,30 +77,17 @@ func TestValidationErrorChaining(t *testing.T) {
 		WithDetail("key1", "value1").
 		WithDetail("key2", 123)
 
-	if err.Cause != cause {
-		t.Errorf("expected cause to be set")
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["key1"] != "value1" {
-		t.Errorf("expected detail key1 to be 'value1', got %v", err.Details["key1"])
-	}
-
-	if err.Details["key2"] != 123 {
-		t.Errorf("expected detail key2 to be 123, got %v", err.Details["key2"])
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, cause, err.Cause)
+	require.Equal(t, "value1", err.Details["key1"])
+	require.Equal(t, 123, err.Details["key2"])
 }
 
 func TestIsValidationError(t *testing.T) {
 	validationErr := NewDatasourceNotFoundError("test-uid", "org-1")
 	regularErr := errors.New("regular error")
 
-	if !IsValidationError(validationErr) {
-		t.Errorf("expected IsValidationError to return true for ValidationError")
-	}
-
-	if IsValidationError(regularErr) {
-		t.Errorf("expected IsValidationError to return false for regular error")
-	}
+	require.True(t, IsValidationError(validationErr), "expected IsValidationError to return true for ValidationError")
+	require.False(t, IsValidationError(regularErr), "expected IsValidationError to return false for regular error")
 }
 
 func TestGetValidationError(t *testing.T) {
@@ -171,75 +95,37 @@ func TestGetValidationError(t *testing.T) {
 	regularErr := errors.New("regular error")
 
 	retrieved := GetValidationError(validationErr)
-	if retrieved == nil {
-		t.Errorf("expected GetValidationError to return the ValidationError")
-	}
-	if retrieved.Code != ErrCodeDatasourceNotFound {
-		t.Errorf("expected retrieved error to have correct code")
-	}
+	require.NotNil(t, retrieved, "expected GetValidationError to return the ValidationError")
+	require.Equal(t, ErrCodeDatasourceNotFound, retrieved.Code)
 
 	retrieved = GetValidationError(regularErr)
-	if retrieved != nil {
-		t.Errorf("expected GetValidationError to return nil for regular error")
-	}
+	require.Nil(t, retrieved, "expected GetValidationError to return nil for regular error")
 }
 
 func TestGetHTTPStatusCode(t *testing.T) {
 	validationErr := NewDatasourceNotFoundError("test-uid", "org-1")
 	regularErr := errors.New("regular error")
 
-	statusCode := GetHTTPStatusCode(validationErr)
-	if statusCode != http.StatusNotFound {
-		t.Errorf("expected status code %d, got %d", http.StatusNotFound, statusCode)
-	}
-
-	statusCode = GetHTTPStatusCode(regularErr)
-	if statusCode != http.StatusInternalServerError {
-		t.Errorf("expected default status code %d for regular error, got %d", http.StatusInternalServerError, statusCode)
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusNotFound, GetHTTPStatusCode(validationErr))
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusInternalServerError, GetHTTPStatusCode(regularErr), "expected default status code for regular error")
 }
 
 func TestErrorUnwrap(t *testing.T) {
 	cause := errors.New("underlying error")
 	err := NewDatasourceUnreachableError("test-uid", "http://localhost:9090", cause)
 
-	unwrapped := errors.Unwrap(err)
-	if unwrapped != cause {
-		t.Errorf("expected Unwrap to return the cause")
-	}
+	require.Equal(t, cause, errors.Unwrap(err), "expected Unwrap to return the cause")
 }
 
 func TestErrorErrorMethod(t *testing.T) {
 	// Test without cause
 	err1 := NewDatasourceNotFoundError("test-uid", "org-1")
-	errMsg1 := err1.Error()
-	if errMsg1 == "" {
-		t.Errorf("expected non-empty error message")
-	}
+	require.NotEmpty(t, err1.Error(), "expected non-empty error message")
 
 	// Test with cause
 	cause := errors.New("underlying error")
 	err2 := NewDatasourceUnreachableError("test-uid", "http://localhost:9090", cause)
 	errMsg2 := err2.Error()
-	if errMsg2 == "" {
-		t.Errorf("expected non-empty error message")
-	}
-	// Error message should include the cause
-	if !contains(errMsg2, "underlying error") {
-		t.Errorf("expected error message to include cause, got: %s", errMsg2)
-	}
-}
-
-// Helper function to check if a string contains a substring
-func contains(s, substr string) bool {
-	return len(s) >= len(substr) && (s == substr || len(s) > len(substr) && containsHelper(s, substr))
-}
-
-func containsHelper(s, substr string) bool {
-	for i := 0; i <= len(s)-len(substr); i++ {
-		if s[i:i+len(substr)] == substr {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
+	require.NotEmpty(t, errMsg2, "expected non-empty error message")
+	require.Contains(t, errMsg2, "underlying error", "error message should include cause")
 }
diff --git a/apps/dashvalidator/pkg/validator/variables_test.go b/apps/dashvalidator/pkg/validator/variables_test.go
index e6b2dc9bd6d..c0a0d70bd9b 100644
--- a/apps/dashvalidator/pkg/validator/variables_test.go
+++ b/apps/dashvalidator/pkg/validator/variables_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package validator
 
 import (
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func TestIsVariableReference(t *testing.T) {
@@ -33,9 +35,7 @@ func TestIsVariableReference(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			result := isVariableReference(tt.input)
-			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("isVariableReference(%q) = %v, want %v", tt.input, result, tt.expected)
-			}
+			require.Equal(t, tt.expected, result, "isVariableReference(%q) returned unexpected result", tt.input)
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -63,9 +63,7 @@ func TestExtractVariableName(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			result := extractVariableName(tt.input)
-			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("extractVariableName(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.input, result, tt.expected)
-			}
+			require.Equal(t, tt.expected, result, "extractVariableName(%q) returned unexpected result", tt.input)
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -115,9 +113,7 @@ func TestIsPrometheusVariable(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			result := isPrometheusVariable(tt.varRef, tt.dashboard)
-			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("isPrometheusVariable(%q, dashboard) = %v, want %v", tt.varRef, result, tt.expected)
-			}
+			require.Equal(t, tt.expected, result, "isPrometheusVariable(%q, dashboard) returned unexpected result", tt.varRef)
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -162,10 +158,7 @@ func TestResolveDatasourceUID(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			result := resolveDatasourceUID(tt.uid, singleUID, tt.dashboard)
-			if result != tt.expectedUID {
-				t.Errorf("resolveDatasourceUID(%q, %q, dashboard) = %q, want %q (%s)",
-					tt.uid, singleUID, result, tt.expectedUID, tt.description)
-			}
+			require.Equal(t, tt.expectedUID, result, "resolveDatasourceUID(%q, %q, dashboard): %s", tt.uid, singleUID, tt.description)
 		})
 	}
 }