diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/analyser/CheckDeprecatedApi.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/analyser/CheckDeprecatedApi.java
index 2361c4e..f98bd6d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/analyser/CheckDeprecatedApi.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/analyser/CheckDeprecatedApi.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 import org.apache.sling.feature.extension.apiregions.api.ApiRegion;
 import org.apache.sling.feature.extension.apiregions.api.ApiRegions;
 import org.apache.sling.feature.extension.apiregions.api.DeprecationInfo;
+import org.apache.sling.feature.extension.apiregions.api.DeprecationValidationMode;
 import org.apache.sling.feature.scanner.BundleDescriptor;
 import org.apache.sling.feature.scanner.PackageInfo;
 import org.osgi.framework.Version;
@@ -126,7 +127,12 @@
                         if ( deprecationInfo.getSince() != null ) {
                             msg = msg.concat(" Deprecated since ").concat(deprecationInfo.getSince());
                         }
-                        boolean isError = strict;
+                        boolean isError;
+                        if ( deprecationInfo.getMode() != null ) {
+                            isError = deprecationInfo.getMode() == DeprecationValidationMode.STRICT;
+                        } else {
+                            isError = strict;
+                        }
                         if ( deprecationInfo.isForRemoval() ) {
                             boolean printRemoval = true;
                             if ( checkDate != null ) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/ApiExport.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/ApiExport.java
index bf91b9e..0eab0a5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/ApiExport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/ApiExport.java
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@
 
     private static final String FOR_REMOVAL_KEY = "for-removal";
 
+    private static final String MODE_KEY = "mode";
+
     private static final String MEMBERS_KEY = "members";
 
     private static final String NAME_KEY = "name";
@@ -213,6 +215,13 @@
                 final DeprecationInfo info = new DeprecationInfo(depObj.getString(MSG_KEY));
                 info.setSince(depObj.getString(SINCE_KEY, null));
                 info.setForRemoval(depObj.getString(FOR_REMOVAL_KEY, null));
+                if ( depObj.getString(MODE_KEY, null) != null ) {
+                    try {
+                        info.setMode(DeprecationValidationMode.valueOf(depObj.getString(MODE_KEY)));
+                    } catch ( final IllegalArgumentException iae) {
+                        throw new IOException(iae);
+                    }
+                }
                 this.getDeprecation().setPackageInfo(info);
             } else {
                 if ( depObj.containsKey(SINCE_KEY) ) {
@@ -221,6 +230,9 @@
                 if ( depObj.containsKey(FOR_REMOVAL_KEY) ) {
                     throw new IOException("Export " + this.getName() + " has wrong for-removal in " + DEPRECATED_KEY);
                 }
+                if ( depObj.containsKey(MODE_KEY) ) {
+                    throw new IOException("Export " + this.getName() + " has wrong mode in " + DEPRECATED_KEY);
+                }
                 final JsonValue val = depObj.get(MEMBERS_KEY);
                 if ( val.getValueType() != ValueType.OBJECT) {
                     throw new IOException("Export " + this.getName() + " has wrong type for " + MEMBERS_KEY + " : " + val.getValueType().name());
@@ -237,7 +249,14 @@
                         final DeprecationInfo info = new DeprecationInfo(memberObj.getString(MSG_KEY));
                         info.setSince(memberObj.getString(SINCE_KEY, null));
                         info.setForRemoval(depObj.getString(FOR_REMOVAL_KEY, null));
-                        this.getDeprecation().addMemberInfo(memberProp.getKey(), info);
+                        if ( depObj.getString(MODE_KEY, null) != null ) {
+                            try {
+                                info.setMode(DeprecationValidationMode.valueOf(depObj.getString(MODE_KEY)));
+                            } catch ( final IllegalArgumentException iae) {
+                                throw new IOException(iae);
+                            }
+                        }
+                                this.getDeprecation().addMemberInfo(memberProp.getKey(), info);
                     } else {
                         throw new IOException("Export " + this.getName() + " has wrong type for member in " + MEMBERS_KEY + " : " + memberProp.getValue().getValueType().name());
                     }
@@ -255,7 +274,7 @@
     JsonValue deprecationToJSON() {
         final Deprecation dep = this.getDeprecation();
         if ( dep.getPackageInfo() != null ) {
-            if ( dep.getPackageInfo().getSince() == null && dep.getPackageInfo().getForRemoval() == null ) {
+            if ( dep.getPackageInfo().getSince() == null && dep.getPackageInfo().getForRemoval() == null && dep.getPackageInfo().getMode() == null) {
                 return Json.createValue(dep.getPackageInfo().getMessage());
             } else {
                 final JsonObjectBuilder depBuilder = Json.createObjectBuilder();
@@ -266,13 +285,16 @@
                 if ( dep.getPackageInfo().getForRemoval() != null ) {
                     depBuilder.add(FOR_REMOVAL_KEY, dep.getPackageInfo().getForRemoval());
                 }
+                if ( dep.getPackageInfo().getMode() != null ) {
+                    depBuilder.add(MODE_KEY, dep.getPackageInfo().getMode().name());
+                }
                 return depBuilder.build();
             }
         } else if ( !dep.getMemberInfos().isEmpty() ) {
             final JsonObjectBuilder depBuilder = Json.createObjectBuilder();
             final JsonObjectBuilder membersBuilder = Json.createObjectBuilder();
             for(final Map.Entry<String, DeprecationInfo> memberEntry : dep.getMemberInfos().entrySet()) {
-                if ( memberEntry.getValue().getSince() == null && memberEntry.getValue().getForRemoval() == null ) {
+                if ( memberEntry.getValue().getSince() == null && memberEntry.getValue().getForRemoval() == null && memberEntry.getValue().getMode() == null ) {
                     membersBuilder.add(memberEntry.getKey(), memberEntry.getValue().getMessage());
                 } else {
                     final JsonObjectBuilder mBuilder = Json.createObjectBuilder();
@@ -283,6 +305,9 @@
                     if ( memberEntry.getValue().getForRemoval() != null ) {
                         mBuilder.add(FOR_REMOVAL_KEY, memberEntry.getValue().getForRemoval());
                     }
+                    if ( memberEntry.getValue().getMode() != null ) {
+                        mBuilder.add(MODE_KEY, memberEntry.getValue().getMode().name());
+                    }
                     membersBuilder.add(memberEntry.getKey(), mBuilder);
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/DeprecationInfo.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/DeprecationInfo.java
index 740109c..adf389d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/DeprecationInfo.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/DeprecationInfo.java
@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@
     private String forRemoval;
 
     /**
+     * Optional validation mode
+     * @since 1.4.0
+     */
+    private DeprecationValidationMode mode;
+
+    /**
      * Create a new info
      * @param msg The msg
      * @throws IllegalArgumentException if msg is {@code null}
@@ -131,9 +137,27 @@
         return null;
     }
     
+    /**
+     * Get the optional validation mode.
+     * @return The mode or {@code null}
+     * @since 1.4.0
+     */
+    public DeprecationValidationMode getMode() {
+        return mode;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set the validation mode.
+     * @param value The new mode
+     * @since 1.4.0
+     */
+    public void setMode(final DeprecationValidationMode value) {
+        this.mode = value;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public int hashCode() {
-        return Objects.hash(message, since, forRemoval);
+        return Objects.hash(message, since, forRemoval, mode);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -148,6 +172,7 @@
             return false;
         }
         DeprecationInfo other = (DeprecationInfo) obj;
-        return Objects.equals(message, other.message) && Objects.equals(since, other.since) && Objects.equals(forRemoval, other.forRemoval);
+        return Objects.equals(message, other.message) && Objects.equals(since, other.since) && Objects.equals(forRemoval, other.forRemoval)
+               && Objects.equals(mode, other.mode);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/DeprecationValidationMode.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/DeprecationValidationMode.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b404daf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/DeprecationValidationMode.java
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.sling.feature.extension.apiregions.api;
+
+public enum DeprecationValidationMode {
+    
+    /** Default mode - if api is used, issue a warning. */
+    LENIENT,
+
+    /** If api is used, issue an error. */
+    STRICT
+
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/package-info.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/package-info.java
index 4e32aaf..2a621b7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/package-info.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/package-info.java
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
  * under the License.
  */
 
-@org.osgi.annotation.versioning.Version("1.3.0")
+@org.osgi.annotation.versioning.Version("1.4.0")
 package org.apache.sling.feature.extension.apiregions.api;
 
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/ApiExportTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/ApiExportTest.java
index 60cc3d9..bb8c2fc 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/ApiExportTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/sling/feature/extension/apiregions/api/ApiExportTest.java
@@ -155,4 +155,16 @@
 
         assertEquals(jv, exp.deprecationToJSON());
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testMode() throws Exception {
+        final JsonValue jv = getJson("{\"msg\":\"" + MSG + "\",\"mode\":\"" + DeprecationValidationMode.STRICT.name() + "\"}");
+
+        final ApiExport exp = new ApiExport(PCK);
+        exp.parseDeprecation(jv);
+
+        assertEquals(DeprecationValidationMode.STRICT, exp.getDeprecation().getPackageInfo().getMode());
+
+        assertEquals(jv, exp.deprecationToJSON());
+    }
 }