diff --git a/pkg/templates/templates.go b/pkg/templates/templates.go
index 2420858c07..0c59dff4f3 100644
--- a/pkg/templates/templates.go
+++ b/pkg/templates/templates.go
@@ -521,7 +521,8 @@ func (template *Template) hasMultipleRequests() bool {
 
 // MarshalJSON forces recursive struct validation during marshal operation
 func (template *Template) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
-	out, marshalErr := json.Marshal(template)
+	type TemplateAlias Template //avoid recursion
+	out, marshalErr := json.Marshal((*TemplateAlias)(template))
 	errValidate := validate.New().Struct(template)
 	return out, multierr.Append(marshalErr, errValidate)
 }