diff --git a/command/agent/job_endpoint_test.go b/command/agent/job_endpoint_test.go
index 8c6109a44..3dc25b5bc 100644
--- a/command/agent/job_endpoint_test.go
+++ b/command/agent/job_endpoint_test.go
@@ -1276,9 +1276,9 @@ func TestHTTP_JobActions(t *testing.T) {
 		// Two actions by default, both in Task web and Group web
 		must.Len(t, 2, actionsResp, must.Sprint("expected 2 actions"))
 
-		must.Eq(t, "date test", actionsResp[0].Name)
+		must.Eq(t, "date-test", actionsResp[0].Name)
 
-		must.Eq(t, "echo test", actionsResp[1].Name)
+		must.Eq(t, "echo-test", actionsResp[1].Name)
 
 		// Both have Args lists length of 1
 		must.Len(t, 1, actionsResp[0].Args, must.Sprint("expected 1 arg"))
@@ -1351,9 +1351,9 @@ func TestHTTP_JobActions(t *testing.T) {
 		dateTestCount := 0
 		echoTestCount := 0
 		for _, action := range actionsResp3 {
-			if action.Name == "date test" {
+			if action.Name == "date-test" {
 				dateTestCount++
-			} else if action.Name == "echo test" {
+			} else if action.Name == "echo-test" {
 				echoTestCount++
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/command/agent/testingutils_test.go b/command/agent/testingutils_test.go
index 51787cb1d..0162951cf 100644
--- a/command/agent/testingutils_test.go
+++ b/command/agent/testingutils_test.go
@@ -81,12 +81,12 @@ func MockJob() *api.Job {
 						// actions
 						Actions: []*api.Action{
 							{
-								Name:    "date test",
+								Name:    "date-test",
 								Command: "/bin/date",
 								Args:    []string{"-u"},
 							},
 							{
-								Name:    "echo test",
+								Name:    "echo-test",
 								Command: "/bin/echo",
 								Args:    []string{"hello world"},
 							},
diff --git a/nomad/mock/job.go b/nomad/mock/job.go
index 226db4521..0e4600ec9 100644
--- a/nomad/mock/job.go
+++ b/nomad/mock/job.go
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@ func Job() *structs.Job {
 						},
 						Actions: []*structs.Action{
 							{
-								Name:    "date test",
+								Name:    "date-test",
 								Command: "/bin/date",
 								Args:    []string{"-u"},
 							},
 							{
-								Name:    "echo test",
+								Name:    "echo-test",
 								Command: "/bin/echo",
 								Args:    []string{"hello world"},
 							},
@@ -706,7 +706,7 @@ func BigBenchmarkJob() *structs.Job {
 	return job
 }
 
-// A multi-group, multi-task job with actions testing.
+// ActionsJob produces a multi-group, multi-task job with actions for testing.
 func ActionsJob() *structs.Job {
 	job := MinJob()
 
@@ -726,12 +726,12 @@ func ActionsJob() *structs.Job {
 		for _, task := range tg.Tasks {
 			task.Actions = []*structs.Action{
 				{
-					Name:    "date test",
+					Name:    "date-test",
 					Command: "/bin/date",
 					Args:    []string{"-u"},
 				},
 				{
-					Name:    "echo test",
+					Name:    "echo-test",
 					Command: "/bin/echo",
 					Args:    []string{"hello world"},
 				},
diff --git a/nomad/structs/actions.go b/nomad/structs/actions.go
index aada647a4..78a2f9810 100644
--- a/nomad/structs/actions.go
+++ b/nomad/structs/actions.go
@@ -9,11 +9,16 @@ package structs
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"regexp"
 	"slices"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-multierror"
 )
 
+// validJobActionName is used to validate a job action name.
+var validJobActionName = regexp.MustCompile("^[a-zA-Z0-9-]{1,128}$")
+
 type Action struct {
 	Name    string
 	Command string
@@ -60,7 +65,10 @@ func (a *Action) Validate() error {
 
 	var mErr *multierror.Error
 	if a.Command == "" {
-		mErr = multierror.Append(mErr, errors.New("Missing command"))
+		mErr = multierror.Append(mErr, errors.New("command cannot be empty"))
+	}
+	if !validJobActionName.MatchString(a.Name) {
+		mErr = multierror.Append(mErr, fmt.Errorf("invalid name '%s'", a.Name))
 	}
 
 	return mErr.ErrorOrNil()
diff --git a/nomad/structs/actions_test.go b/nomad/structs/actions_test.go
index 09c457855..463fd1929 100644
--- a/nomad/structs/actions_test.go
+++ b/nomad/structs/actions_test.go
@@ -149,13 +149,41 @@ func TestAction_Validate(t *testing.T) {
 			expectedError: nil,
 		},
 		{
-			name:          "empty command",
-			inputAction:   &Action{},
-			expectedError: errors.New("Missing command"),
+			name: "empty command",
+			inputAction: &Action{
+				Name: "adrian-iv",
+			},
+			expectedError: errors.New("command cannot be empty"),
 		},
 		{
-			name:          "valid",
-			inputAction:   &Action{Command: "env"},
+			name: "empty name",
+			inputAction: &Action{
+				Command: "env",
+			},
+			expectedError: errors.New(`invalid name ''`),
+		},
+		{
+			name: "too long name",
+			inputAction: &Action{
+				Name:    "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
+				Command: "env",
+			},
+			expectedError: errors.New(`invalid name 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'`),
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid character name",
+			inputAction: &Action{
+				Name:    `\//?|?|?%&%@$&£@$)`,
+				Command: "env",
+			},
+			expectedError: errors.New(`invalid name '\//?|?|?%&%@$&£@$)'`),
+		},
+		{
+			name: "valid",
+			inputAction: &Action{
+				Name:    "adrian-iv",
+				Command: "env",
+			},
 			expectedError: nil,
 		},
 	}