diff --git a/hugr/src/hugr.rs b/hugr/src/hugr.rs
index 02b5a25b5..770d56a5f 100644
--- a/hugr/src/hugr.rs
+++ b/hugr/src/hugr.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ pub mod serialize;
 pub mod validate;
 pub mod views;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "extension_inference")]
+use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::collections::VecDeque;
 use std::iter;
 
@@ -196,8 +198,12 @@ impl Hugr {
         extension_registry: &ExtensionRegistry,
     ) -> Result<(), ValidationError> {
         resolve_extension_ops(self, extension_registry)?;
-        self.infer_extensions()?;
-        self.validate(extension_registry)?;
+        self.validate_no_extensions(extension_registry)?;
+        #[cfg(feature = "extension_inference")]
+        {
+            self.infer_extensions()?;
+            self.validate_extensions(HashMap::new())?;
+        }
         Ok(())
     }
 
diff --git a/hugr/src/hugr/validate.rs b/hugr/src/hugr/validate.rs
index 26857495a..40de5d805 100644
--- a/hugr/src/hugr/validate.rs
+++ b/hugr/src/hugr/validate.rs
@@ -35,9 +35,6 @@ struct ValidationContext<'a, 'b> {
     hugr: &'a Hugr,
     /// Dominator tree for each CFG region, using the container node as index.
     dominators: HashMap<Node, Dominators<Node>>,
-    /// Context for the extension validation.
-    #[allow(dead_code)]
-    extension_validator: ExtensionValidator,
     /// Registry of available Extensions
     extension_registry: &'b ExtensionRegistry,
 }
@@ -48,7 +45,51 @@ impl Hugr {
     /// TODO: Add a version of validation which allows for open extension
     /// variables (see github issue #457)
     pub fn validate(&self, extension_registry: &ExtensionRegistry) -> Result<(), ValidationError> {
-        self.validate_with_extension_closure(HashMap::new(), extension_registry)
+        #[cfg(feature = "extension_inference")]
+        self.validate_with_extension_closure(HashMap::new(), extension_registry)?;
+        #[cfg(not(feature = "extension_inference"))]
+        self.validate_no_extensions(extension_registry)?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Check the validity of the HUGR, but don't check consistency of extension
+    /// requirements between connected nodes or between parents and children.
+    pub fn validate_no_extensions(
+        &self,
+        extension_registry: &ExtensionRegistry,
+    ) -> Result<(), ValidationError> {
+        let mut validator = ValidationContext::new(self, extension_registry);
+        validator.validate()
+    }
+
+    /// Validate extensions on the input and output edges of nodes. Check that
+    /// the target ends of edges require the extensions from the sources, and
+    /// check extension deltas from parent nodes are reflected in their children
+    pub fn validate_extensions(&self, closure: ExtensionSolution) -> Result<(), ValidationError> {
+        let validator = ExtensionValidator::new(self, closure);
+        for src_node in self.nodes() {
+            let node_type = self.get_nodetype(src_node);
+
+            // FuncDefns have no resources since they're static nodes, but the
+            // functions they define can have any extension delta.
+            if node_type.tag() != OpTag::FuncDefn {
+                // If this is a container with I/O nodes, check that the extension they
+                // define match the extensions of the container.
+                if let Some([input, output]) = self.get_io(src_node) {
+                    validator.validate_io_extensions(src_node, input, output)?;
+                }
+            }
+
+            for src_port in self.node_outputs(src_node) {
+                for (tgt_node, tgt_port) in self.linked_inputs(src_node, src_port) {
+                    validator.check_extensions_compatible(
+                        &(src_node, src_port.into()),
+                        &(tgt_node, tgt_port.into()),
+                    )?;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        Ok(())
     }
 
     /// Check the validity of a hugr, taking an argument of a closure for the
@@ -58,8 +99,10 @@ impl Hugr {
         closure: ExtensionSolution,
         extension_registry: &ExtensionRegistry,
     ) -> Result<(), ValidationError> {
-        let mut validator = ValidationContext::new(self, closure, extension_registry);
-        validator.validate()
+        let mut validator = ValidationContext::new(self, extension_registry);
+        validator.validate()?;
+        self.validate_extensions(closure)?;
+        Ok(())
     }
 }
 
@@ -68,15 +111,10 @@ impl<'a, 'b> ValidationContext<'a, 'b> {
     // Allow unused "extension_closure" variable for when
     // the "extension_inference" feature is disabled.
     #[allow(unused_variables)]
-    pub fn new(
-        hugr: &'a Hugr,
-        extension_closure: ExtensionSolution,
-        extension_registry: &'b ExtensionRegistry,
-    ) -> Self {
+    pub fn new(hugr: &'a Hugr, extension_registry: &'b ExtensionRegistry) -> Self {
         Self {
             hugr,
             dominators: HashMap::new(),
-            extension_validator: ExtensionValidator::new(hugr, extension_closure),
             extension_registry,
         }
     }
@@ -176,18 +214,6 @@ impl<'a, 'b> ValidationContext<'a, 'b> {
         // Secondly that the node has correct children
         self.validate_children(node, node_type)?;
 
-        // FuncDefns have no resources since they're static nodes, but the
-        // functions they define can have any extension delta.
-        #[cfg(feature = "extension_inference")]
-        if node_type.tag() != OpTag::FuncDefn {
-            // If this is a container with I/O nodes, check that the extension they
-            // define match the extensions of the container.
-            if let Some([input, output]) = self.hugr.get_io(node) {
-                self.extension_validator
-                    .validate_io_extensions(node, input, output)?;
-            }
-        }
-
         Ok(())
     }
 
@@ -247,10 +273,6 @@ impl<'a, 'b> ValidationContext<'a, 'b> {
             let other_node: Node = self.hugr.graph.port_node(link).unwrap().into();
             let other_offset = self.hugr.graph.port_offset(link).unwrap().into();
 
-            #[cfg(feature = "extension_inference")]
-            self.extension_validator
-                .check_extensions_compatible(&(node, port), &(other_node, other_offset))?;
-
             let other_op = self.hugr.get_optype(other_node);
             let Some(other_kind) = other_op.port_kind(other_offset) else {
                 panic!("The number of ports in {other_node} does not match the operation definition. This should have been caught by `validate_node`.");