diff --git a/src/helpers/task-deadline.ts b/src/helpers/task-deadline.ts
index c7449af..7a01c9e 100644
--- a/src/helpers/task-deadline.ts
+++ b/src/helpers/task-deadline.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { DateTime } from "luxon";
 import { Context } from "../types/context";
 import { ListIssueForRepo } from "../types/github-types";
 import { getAssigneesActivityForIssue } from "./get-assignee-activity";
+import { TimelineEvents } from "../types/plugin-inputs";
 
 /**
  * Retrieves the deadline with the threshold for the issue.
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ export async function getDeadlineWithThreshold(
     if (!o.event) {
       return false;
     }
-    return eventWhitelist.includes(o.event);
+    return eventWhitelist.includes(o.event as TimelineEvents);
   });
 
   // adding the buffer onto the already established issueStart + timeLabelDuration
diff --git a/src/types/plugin-inputs.ts b/src/types/plugin-inputs.ts
index 85c35a4..1c78ac5 100644
--- a/src/types/plugin-inputs.ts
+++ b/src/types/plugin-inputs.ts
@@ -37,12 +37,18 @@ const eventWhitelist = [
   "pull_request_review_comment.created",
   "issue_comment.created",
   "push",
-]
+];
 
-type WhitelistEvents = typeof eventWhitelist[number];
-type TimelineEvents = "review_requested" | "ready_for_review" | "commented" | "committed";
+type WhitelistEvents =
+  | "push"
+  | "pull_request.review_requested"
+  | "pull_request.ready_for_review"
+  | "pull_request_review_comment.created"
+  | "issue_comment.created";
 
-function mapWebhookToEvent(webhook: string) {
+export type TimelineEvents = "review_requested" | "ready_for_review" | "commented" | "committed";
+
+function mapWebhookToEvent(webhook: WhitelistEvents) {
   const roleMap: Map<WhitelistEvents, TimelineEvents> = new Map([
     ["pull_request.review_requested", "review_requested"],
     ["pull_request.ready_for_review", "ready_for_review"],
@@ -76,30 +82,41 @@ export const userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema = T.Object(
     /**
      * List of events to consider as valid activity on a task
      */
-    eventWhitelist: T.Transform(T.Array(T.String(), { default: eventWhitelist })).Decode((value) => {
-      const validEvents = Object.values(eventWhitelist);
-      let eventsStripped = []
-      for (const event of value) {
-        if (!validEvents.includes(event)) {
-          throw new TypeBoxError(`Invalid event [${event}]`);
-        }
+    eventWhitelist: T.Transform(T.Array(T.String(), { default: eventWhitelist }))
+      .Decode((value) => {
+        const validEvents = Object.values(eventWhitelist);
+        let eventsStripped: TimelineEvents[] = [];
+        for (const event of value) {
+          if (!validEvents.includes(event)) {
+            throw new TypeBoxError(`Invalid event [${event}]`);
+          }
 
-        eventsStripped.push(mapWebhookToEvent(event));
-      }
+          const mappedEvent = mapWebhookToEvent(event as WhitelistEvents);
 
-      return eventsStripped as TimelineEvents[];
-    })
-      .Encode((value) => value.map((event) => {
-        const roleMap: Map<TimelineEvents, WhitelistEvents> = new Map([
-          ["review_requested", "pull_request.review_requested"],
-          ["ready_for_review", "pull_request.ready_for_review"],
-          ["commented", "pull_request_review_comment.created"],
-          ["commented", "issue_comment.created"],
-          ["committed", "push"],
-        ]);
+          if (!mappedEvent) {
+            throw new TypeBoxError(`Invalid event [${event}]`);
+          }
+
+          if (!eventsStripped.includes(mappedEvent)) {
+            eventsStripped.push(mappedEvent);
+          }
+        }
+
+        return eventsStripped as TimelineEvents[];
+      })
+      .Encode((value) =>
+        value.map((event) => {
+          const roleMap: Map<TimelineEvents, WhitelistEvents> = new Map([
+            ["review_requested", "pull_request.review_requested"],
+            ["ready_for_review", "pull_request.ready_for_review"],
+            ["commented", "pull_request_review_comment.created"],
+            ["commented", "issue_comment.created"],
+            ["committed", "push"],
+          ]);
 
-        return roleMap.get(event as TimelineEvents) as WhitelistEvents;
-      })),
+          return roleMap.get(event as TimelineEvents) as WhitelistEvents;
+        })
+      ),
   },
   { default: {} }
 );
diff --git a/tests/__mocks__/results/valid-configuration.json b/tests/__mocks__/results/valid-configuration.json
index 8d2cf8c..b094dc1 100644
--- a/tests/__mocks__/results/valid-configuration.json
+++ b/tests/__mocks__/results/valid-configuration.json
@@ -4,5 +4,5 @@
   "watch": {
     "optOut": ["private-repo"]
   },
-  "eventWhitelist": ["review_requested", "ready_for_review", "commented", "committed"]
+  "eventWhitelist": ["pull_request.review_requested", "pull_request.ready_for_review", "pull_request_review_comment.created", "issue_comment.created", "push"]
 }
diff --git a/tests/main.test.ts b/tests/main.test.ts
index 77b018c..841e4d3 100644
--- a/tests/main.test.ts
+++ b/tests/main.test.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { botAssignmentComment, getIssueHtmlUrl, STRINGS } from "./__mocks__/stri
 import { createComment, createEvent, createIssue, createRepo, ONE_DAY } from "./__mocks__/helpers";
 import { collectLinkedPullRequests } from "../src/handlers/collect-linked-pulls";
 import ms from "ms";
+import { TypeBoxError } from "@sinclair/typebox";
 
 dotenv.config();
 const octokit = jest.requireActual("@octokit/rest");
@@ -31,7 +32,19 @@ describe("User start/stop", () => {
   beforeEach(async () => {
     await setupTests();
   });
-
+  it("should throw an error if the whitelist events are incorrect", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      Value.Decode(
+        userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema,
+        Value.Default(userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema, {
+          warning: "12 days",
+          disqualification: "2 days",
+          watch: { optOut: [STRINGS.PRIVATE_REPO_NAME] },
+          eventWhitelist: ["review_requested", "ready_for_review", "commented", "committed"],
+        })
+      )
+    ).toThrow(TypeBoxError);
+  });
   it("Should parse thresholds", async () => {
     const settings = Value.Decode(userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema, Value.Default(userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema, cfg));
     expect(settings).toEqual({
@@ -47,11 +60,26 @@ describe("User start/stop", () => {
           warning: "12 foobars",
           disqualification: "2 days",
           watch: { optOut: [STRINGS.PRIVATE_REPO_NAME] },
-          eventWhitelist: ["review_requested", "ready_for_review", "commented", "committed"],
         })
       )
     ).toThrow(TransformDecodeError);
   });
+  it("Should correctly transform the eventWhitelist", () => {
+    const settings = Value.Default(userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema, {
+      warning: "12 days",
+      disqualification: "2 days",
+      watch: { optOut: [STRINGS.PRIVATE_REPO_NAME] },
+      eventWhitelist: [
+        "pull_request.review_requested",
+        "pull_request.ready_for_review",
+        "pull_request_review_comment.created",
+        "issue_comment.created",
+        "push",
+      ],
+    });
+    const decodedSettings = Value.Decode(userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema, settings);
+    expect(decodedSettings.eventWhitelist).toEqual(["review_requested", "ready_for_review", "commented", "committed"]);
+  });
   it("Should define eventWhitelist defaults if omitted", () => {
     const settings = Value.Default(userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema, {
       warning: "12 days",
@@ -68,6 +96,8 @@ describe("User start/stop", () => {
 
     const decodedSettings = Value.Decode(userActivityWatcherSettingsSchema, settings);
 
+    console.log("decodedSettings", decodedSettings);
+
     expect(decodedSettings).toEqual({
       warning: ms("3.5 days"),
       disqualification: ms("7 days"),