diff --git a/buildingmotif/api/views/model.py b/buildingmotif/api/views/model.py
index 41fc930d..3c000edb 100644
--- a/buildingmotif/api/views/model.py
+++ b/buildingmotif/api/views/model.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 from rdflib.plugins.parsers.notation3 import BadSyntax
 from sqlalchemy.orm.exc import NoResultFound
 
+from buildingmotif import get_building_motif
 from buildingmotif.api.serializers.model import serialize
 from buildingmotif.dataclasses import Library, Model, ShapeCollection
 
@@ -163,9 +164,13 @@ def validate_model(models_id: int) -> flask.Response:
     except NoResultFound:
         return {"message": f"No model with id {models_id}"}, status.HTTP_404_NOT_FOUND
 
+    # we will read the shape collections from the input
     shape_collections = []
 
-    # no body provided -- default to model manifest and default SHACL engine
+    # get shacl_engine from the query params, default to pyshacl
+    shacl_engine = request.args.get("shacl_engine", "pyshacl")
+
+    # no body provided -- default to model manifest
     if request.content_length is None:
         shape_collections = [model.get_manifest()]
     else:
@@ -182,7 +187,6 @@ def validate_model(models_id: int) -> flask.Response:
 
         if body is not None and not isinstance(body, dict):
             return {"message": "body is not dict"}, status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST
-        shape_collections = []
         body = body if body is not None else {}
         nonexistent_libraries = []
         for library_id in body.get("library_ids", []):
@@ -196,9 +200,17 @@ def validate_model(models_id: int) -> flask.Response:
                 "message": f"Libraries with ids {nonexistent_libraries} do not exist"
             }, status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST
 
-    # if shape_collections is empty, model.validate will default
-    # to the model's manifest
-    vaildation_context = model.validate(shape_collections)
+    # temporarily change the SHACL engine
+    bm = get_building_motif()
+    old_shacl_engine = bm.shacl_engine
+    bm.shacl_engine = shacl_engine
+
+    # if shape_collections is empty, model.validate will default to the model's manifest
+    vaildation_context = model.validate(
+        shape_collections, error_on_missing_imports=False
+    )
+    # change the SHACL engine back
+    bm.shacl_engine = old_shacl_engine
 
     return {
         "message": vaildation_context.report_string,