diff --git a/go/v1/resource_descriptor.go b/go/v1/resource_descriptor.go
index 5ebeea35..51654e95 100644
--- a/go/v1/resource_descriptor.go
+++ b/go/v1/resource_descriptor.go
@@ -4,9 +4,29 @@ Wrapper APIs for in-toto attestation ResourceDescriptor protos.
 
 package v1
 
-import "errors"
+import (
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+)
 
-var ErrRDRequiredField = errors.New("at least one of name, URI, or digest are required")
+var (
+	ErrIncorrectDigestLength = errors.New("digest has incorrect length")
+	ErrInvalidDigestEncoding = errors.New("digest is not valid hex-encoded string")
+	ErrRDRequiredField       = errors.New("at least one of name, URI, or digest are required")
+)
+
+// Indicates if a given fixed-size hash algorithm is supported by default and returns the algorithm's
+// digest size in bytes, if supported. We assume gitCommit and dirHash are aliases for sha1 and sha256, respectively.
+//
+// SHA digest sizes from https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/NIST.FIPS.202.pdf
+// MD5 digest size from https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1321.html#section-1
+func isSupportedFixedSizeAlgorithm(alg string) (bool, int) {
+	algos := map[string]int{"md5": 16, "sha1": 20, "sha224": 28, "sha512_224": 28, "sha256": 32, "sha512_256": 32, "sha384": 48, "sha512": 64, "sha3_224": 28, "sha3_256": 32, "sha3_384": 48, "sha3_512": 64, "gitCommit": 20, "dirHash": 32}
+
+	size, ok := algos[alg]
+	return ok, size
+}
 
 func (d *ResourceDescriptor) Validate() error {
 	// at least one of name, URI or digest are required
@@ -14,5 +34,28 @@ func (d *ResourceDescriptor) Validate() error {
 		return ErrRDRequiredField
 	}
 
+	if len(d.GetDigest()) > 0 {
+		for alg, digest := range d.GetDigest() {
+
+			// Per https://github.com/in-toto/attestation/blob/main/spec/v1/digest_set.md
+			// check encoding and length for supported algorithms;
+			// use of custom, unsupported algorithms is allowed and does not not generate validation errors.
+			supported, size := isSupportedFixedSizeAlgorithm(alg)
+			if supported {
+				// the in-toto spec expects a hex-encoded string in DigestSets for supported algorithms
+				hashBytes, err := hex.DecodeString(digest)
+
+				if err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("%w (%s: %s)", ErrInvalidDigestEncoding, alg, digest)
+				}
+
+				// check the length of the digest
+				if len(hashBytes) != size {
+					return fmt.Errorf("%w: got %d bytes, want %d bytes (%s: %s)", ErrIncorrectDigestLength, len(hashBytes), size, alg, digest)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/go/v1/resource_descriptor_test.go b/go/v1/resource_descriptor_test.go
index 7c7eb240..a1e1e61a 100644
--- a/go/v1/resource_descriptor_test.go
+++ b/go/v1/resource_descriptor_test.go
@@ -15,8 +15,14 @@ import (
 
 const wantFullRd = `{"name":"theName","uri":"https://example.com","digest":{"alg1":"abc123"},"content":"Ynl0ZXNjb250ZW50","downloadLocation":"https://example.com/test.zip","mediaType":"theMediaType","annotations":{"a1":{"keyNum": 13,"keyStr":"value1"},"a2":{"keyObj":{"subKey":"subVal"}}}}`
 
+const supportedRdDigest = `{"digest":{"sha256":"a1234567b1234567c1234567d1234567e1234567f1234567a1234567b1234567","custom":"myCustomEnvoding","sha1":"a1234567b1234567c1234567d1234567e1234567"}}`
+
 const badRd = `{"downloadLocation":"https://example.com/test.zip","mediaType":"theMediaType"}`
 
+const badRdDigestEncoding = `{"digest":{"sha256":"badDigest"},"downloadLocation":"https://example.com/test.zip","mediaType":"theMediaType"}`
+
+const badRdDigestLength = `{"digest":{"sha256":"abc123"},"downloadLocation":"https://example.com/test.zip","mediaType":"theMediaType"}`
+
 func createTestResourceDescriptor() (*ResourceDescriptor, error) {
 	// Create a ResourceDescriptor
 	a, err := structpb.NewStruct(map[string]interface{}{
@@ -56,6 +62,16 @@ func TestJsonUnmarshalResourceDescriptor(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(t, proto.Equal(got, want), "Protos do not match")
 }
 
+func TestSupportedResourceDescriptorDigest(t *testing.T) {
+	got := &ResourceDescriptor{}
+	err := protojson.Unmarshal([]byte(supportedRdDigest), got)
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err, "Error during JSON unmarshalling")
+
+	err = got.Validate()
+	assert.NoError(t, err, "Error during validation of valid supported RD digests")
+}
+
 func TestBadResourceDescriptor(t *testing.T) {
 	got := &ResourceDescriptor{}
 	err := protojson.Unmarshal([]byte(badRd), got)
@@ -65,3 +81,23 @@ func TestBadResourceDescriptor(t *testing.T) {
 	err = got.Validate()
 	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrRDRequiredField, "created malformed ResourceDescriptor")
 }
+
+func TestBadResourceDescriptorDigestEncoding(t *testing.T) {
+	got := &ResourceDescriptor{}
+	err := protojson.Unmarshal([]byte(badRdDigestEncoding), got)
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err, "Error during JSON unmarshalling")
+
+	err = got.Validate()
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrInvalidDigestEncoding, "did not get expected error when validating ResourceDescriptor with invalid digest encoding")
+}
+
+func TestBadResourceDescriptorDigestLength(t *testing.T) {
+	got := &ResourceDescriptor{}
+	err := protojson.Unmarshal([]byte(badRdDigestLength), got)
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err, "Error during JSON unmarshalling")
+
+	err = got.Validate()
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrIncorrectDigestLength, "did not get expected error when validating ResourceDescriptor with incorrect digest length")
+}