diff --git a/modules/core/context.js b/modules/core/context.js
index 25a72c2ae..57e7178b8 100644
--- a/modules/core/context.js
+++ b/modules/core/context.js
@@ -8,12 +8,7 @@ import _isString from 'lodash-es/isString';
 import _map from 'lodash-es/map';
 
 import { dispatch as d3_dispatch } from 'd3-dispatch';
-
-import { 
-    json as d3_json, 
-    text as d3_text
-} from 'd3-request';
-
+import { json as d3_json } from 'd3-request';
 import { select as d3_select } from 'd3-selection';
 
 import {
@@ -461,9 +456,11 @@ export function coreContext() {
     
     if (utilExternalValidationRules()) {
         var validationsUrl = utilStringQs(window.location.hash).validations;
-        d3_text(validationsUrl, function (err, mapcss) {
+        d3_json(validationsUrl, function (err, mapcssConfigs) {
             if (err) return;
-            var validations = _map(mapcss, function(mapcss) { return utilMapCSSRule(mapcss, context.presets().areaKeys()); });
+            var validations = _map(mapcssConfigs, function(mapcssConfig) {
+                 return utilMapCSSRule(mapcssConfig, context.presets().areaKeys()); 
+            });
             context.validationRules = function() { return validations; };
         });
     }
diff --git a/modules/util/mapcss_rule.js b/modules/util/mapcss_rule.js
index 7187bdb90..ab0b68c3b 100644
--- a/modules/util/mapcss_rule.js
+++ b/modules/util/mapcss_rule.js
@@ -59,8 +59,11 @@ export function utilMapCSSRule(selector, areaKeys) {
                 .map(function(key) { return ruleChecks[key]; });
 
         },
+        selector: function() {
+            return selector;
+        },
         buildTagMap: function() {
-            var selectorKeys = Object.keys(selector);
+            var selector = this.selector(), selectorKeys = Object.keys(selector);
             var tagMap = _reduce(selectorKeys, function (expectedTags, key) {
                 var values;
                 if (/regex/gi.test(key)) {
@@ -146,7 +149,7 @@ export function utilMapCSSRule(selector, areaKeys) {
             if (entity.type === 'node' || entity.type === 'relation') { 
                 return selector.geometry === entity.type; 
             } else if (entity.type === 'way') {
-                return this.inferGeometry(areaKeys) === entity.geometry(graph);
+                return this.inferGeometry() === entity.geometry(graph);
             }
         },
         findWarnings: function (entity, graph, warnings) {
diff --git a/test/spec/util/mapcss_rule.js b/test/spec/util/mapcss_rule.js
index 0052dc05d..d6168b750 100644
--- a/test/spec/util/mapcss_rule.js
+++ b/test/spec/util/mapcss_rule.js
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ describe('iD.utilMapCSSRule', function() {
     var rules = selectors.map(function(s) { return iD.utilMapCSSRule(s, areaKeys); });
     it ('turns selector object in mapcssRule', function () {
         var ruleKeys = [
-            'ruleChecks', 'type','buildChecks', 'buildTagMap', 'matches', 
+            'ruleChecks', 'type','buildChecks', 'selector', 'buildTagMap', 'matches', 
             'areaKeys', 'inferGeometry', 'geometryMatches','findWarnings'
         ];
         rules.forEach(function(rule) {
@@ -110,7 +110,13 @@ describe('iD.utilMapCSSRule', function() {
             });
         });
     });
-    describe('areaKeys', function() { 
+    describe('#selector', function() {
+        it('returns selector used to construct rule', function() {
+            var rule = iD.utilMapCSSRule(selectors[1], areaKeys);
+            expect(rule.selector()).to.eql(selectors[1]);
+        });
+    });
+    describe('#areaKeys', function() { 
         it('returns areaKeys used to construct rule', function() {
             var rule = iD.utilMapCSSRule(selectors[0], areaKeys);
             expect(rule.areaKeys()).to.eql(areaKeys);