diff --git a/chasten/checks.py b/chasten/checks.py
index 4b3e5de0..6e1d2b54 100644
--- a/chasten/checks.py
+++ b/chasten/checks.py
@@ -81,13 +81,13 @@ def check_match_count(
     if min_value is not None and max_value is not None:
         return is_in_closed_interval(count, min_value, max_value)
     # at this point, only one of the values might not be None
-    # if min_value is not None, then confirm that it is less than or equal
+    # if min_value is not None, then confirm that it is greater than or equal
     if min_value is not None:
-        if count <= min_value:
+        if count >= min_value:
             return True
-    # if max_value is not None, then confirm that it is greater than or equal
+    # if max_value is not None, then confirm that it is less than or equal
     if max_value is not None:
-        if count >= max_value:
+        if count <= max_value:
             return True
     # if none of those conditions were true, then the count is not
     # between the minimum and the maximum value, inclusively
diff --git a/chasten/results.py b/chasten/results.py
index fd6eecad..d56b9101 100644
--- a/chasten/results.py
+++ b/chasten/results.py
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@
 import uuid
 from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import List, Union
+from typing import List, Optional, Union
 
 from pyastgrep import search as pyastgrepsearch  # type: ignore
 from pydantic import BaseModel
+from pydantic.types import conint
 
 from chasten import debug
 
@@ -67,8 +68,8 @@ class Check(BaseModel):
     id: str
     name: str
     description: str = ""
-    min: Union[None, int] = 0
-    max: Union[None, int] = 0
+    min: Optional[conint(ge=0)] = 0  # type: ignore
+    max: Optional[conint(ge=0)] = 0  # type: ignore
     pattern: str
     passed: bool
     matches: list[Match] = []
diff --git a/chasten/validate.py b/chasten/validate.py
index f393df64..41f4d739 100644
--- a/chasten/validate.py
+++ b/chasten/validate.py
@@ -48,19 +48,43 @@
                         "anyOf": [
                             {
                                 "type": "object",
-                                "properties": {"min": {"type": "integer"}},
+                                "properties": {
+                                    "min": {
+                                        "anyOf": [
+                                            {"type": "integer"},
+                                            {"type": "null"},
+                                        ]
+                                    }
+                                },
                                 "required": ["min"],
                             },
                             {
                                 "type": "object",
-                                "properties": {"max": {"type": "integer"}},
+                                "properties": {
+                                    "max": {
+                                        "anyOf": [
+                                            {"type": "integer"},
+                                            {"type": "null"},
+                                        ]
+                                    }
+                                },
                                 "required": ["max"],
                             },
                             {
                                 "type": "object",
                                 "properties": {
-                                    "min": {"type": "integer"},
-                                    "max": {"type": "integer"},
+                                    "min": {
+                                        "anyOf": [
+                                            {"type": "integer"},
+                                            {"type": "null"},
+                                        ]
+                                    },
+                                    "max": {
+                                        "anyOf": [
+                                            {"type": "integer"},
+                                            {"type": "null"},
+                                        ]
+                                    },
                                 },
                                 "required": ["min", "max"],
                             },