diff --git a/lib/build.js b/lib/build.js
index 7bea5dc..625f28c 100644
--- a/lib/build.js
+++ b/lib/build.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import chalk from 'chalk';
 import fs from 'fs';
 import { globSync } from 'glob';
-import jsonschema from 'jsonschema';
+import { Validator } from 'jsonschema';
 import path from 'path';
 import shell from 'shelljs';
 import YAML from 'js-yaml';
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ const discardedSchema = require('../schemas/discarded.json');
 
 let _currBuild = null;
 
+const jsonschema = new Validator();
+
 function validateData(options) {
   const START = '🔬  ' + chalk.yellow('Validating schema...');
   const END = '👍  ' + chalk.green('schema okay');
@@ -203,6 +205,9 @@ function read(f) {
 
 
 function validateSchema(file, instance, schema) {
+  // add this schema to the cache, so $ref can be resolved faster
+  jsonschema.addSchema(schema);
+
   let validationErrors = jsonschema.validate(instance, schema).errors;
 
   if (validationErrors.length) {
@@ -362,6 +367,15 @@ function generatePresets(dataDir, tstrings, searchableFieldIDs, listReusedIcons)
       if (!icons[icon]) icons[icon] = [];
       icons[icon].push(id);
     }
+
+    if (preset.relation) {
+      tstrings.presets[id].relation_roles = {};
+      for (const member of preset.relation.members) {
+        for (const role in member.roles) {
+          tstrings.presets[id].relation_roles[role] = member.roles[role];
+        }
+      }
+    }
   });
 
   if (listReusedIcons) {
@@ -454,8 +468,10 @@ function generateTranslations(fields, presets, tstrings, searchableFieldIDs) {
     let tags = preset.tags || {};
     let keys = Object.keys(tags);
 
+    const tagsString = keys.map(k => `${k}=${tags[k]}`).join(' + ');
+
     if (keys.length) {
-      yamlPreset['#name'] = keys.map(k => `${k}=${tags[k]}`).join(' + ');
+      yamlPreset['#name'] = tagsString;
       if (yamlPreset.aliases) {
         yamlPreset['#name'] += ' | ' + yamlPreset.aliases.split('\n').join(', ');
       }
@@ -466,6 +482,12 @@ function generateTranslations(fields, presets, tstrings, searchableFieldIDs) {
       yamlPreset['#name'] += ` | Local preset for countries ${preset.locationSet.include.map(country => `"${country.toUpperCase()}"`).join(', ')}`;
     }
 
+    if (yamlPreset.relation_roles) {
+      for (const role in yamlPreset.relation_roles) {
+        yamlPreset.relation_roles[`#${role}`] = `Relation role “${role}” when used with ${tagsString}`;
+      }
+    }
+
     if (preset.searchable !== false) {
       if (yamlPreset.terms) {
         yamlPreset['#terms'] = 'terms: ' + yamlPreset.terms;
diff --git a/schemas/field.json b/schemas/field.json
index 66b4af6..be4dd15 100644
--- a/schemas/field.json
+++ b/schemas/field.json
@@ -92,8 +92,7 @@
             "minItems": 1,
             "uniqueItems": true,
             "items": {
-                "type": "string",
-                "enum": ["point", "vertex", "line", "area", "relation"]
+              "$ref": "#/$defs/Geometry"
             }
         },
         "default": {
@@ -294,5 +293,11 @@
                 { "required": ["keys"] }
             ]}
         ]}
-    ]
+    ],
+    "$defs": {
+        "Geometry": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "enum": ["point", "vertex", "line", "area", "relation"]
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/schemas/preset.json b/schemas/preset.json
index c773a03..68f31d2 100644
--- a/schemas/preset.json
+++ b/schemas/preset.json
@@ -126,8 +126,88 @@
                 }
             },
             "additionalProperties": false
+        },
+        "relation": {
+            "$ref": "#/$defs/RelationSchema"
+        },
+        "relationCrossReference": {
+            "description": "A preset can reference the relation schema from another preset",
+            "type": "string",
+            "pattern": "^\\{.+\\}$"
         }
     },
     "additionalProperties": false,
-    "required": ["name", "geometry", "tags"]
+    "required": ["name", "geometry", "tags"],
+    "$defs": {
+        "RelationSchema": {
+            "type": "object",
+            "properties": {
+                "optionalTags": {
+                    "type": "object",
+                    "description": "Only useful for specifying placeholders which are referenced in members.*.matchTags",
+                    "examples": [{ "route": "$1" }],
+                    "additionalProperties": {
+                        "type": "string"
+                    }
+                },
+                "id": {
+                    "type": "string",
+                    "description": "The “permanent relation type ID”, this should match the value of https://osm.wiki/Property:P41 in the OSM wiki’s wikibase system."
+                },
+                "allowDuplicateMembers": {
+                    "type": "boolean",
+                    "default": true
+                },
+                "members": {
+                    "type": "array",
+                    "items": {
+                        "type": "object",
+                        "properties": {
+                            "roles": {
+                                "type": "object",
+                                "additionalProperties": {
+                                    "type": "string"
+                                },
+                                "description": "Map of roles to their label in the default language. An empty string is allowed as key."
+                            },
+                            "geometry": {
+                                "type": "array",
+                                "items": {
+                                    "$ref": "field.json#/$defs/Geometry"
+                                },
+                                "description": "If not specified, any geometry is allowed"
+                            },
+                            "matchTags": {
+                                "type": "array",
+                                "items": {
+                                    "type": "object",
+                                    "additionalProperties": {
+                                        "type": "string"
+                                    }
+                                },
+                                "examples": [
+                                    [{}],
+                                    [{ "a": 1, "b": 2 }],
+                                    [{ "a": 1 }, { "b": 2 }]
+                                ],
+                                "description": "`*` can be used as a tag value. If multiple array items are specified, only 1 needs to match."
+                            },
+                            "min": {
+                                "type": "integer",
+                                "description": "If unspecified, there is no minimum"
+                            },
+                            "max": {
+                                "type": "integer",
+                                "description": "If unspecified, there is no maximum"
+                            }
+                        },
+                        "required": ["matchTags"],
+                        "additionalProperties": false
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            "required": ["id", "allowDuplicateMembers", "members"],
+            "additionalProperties": false
+        }
+    }
 }