diff --git a/blackbox-test/src/test/java/example/avaje/notblank/ANotBlank.java b/blackbox-test/src/test/java/example/avaje/notblank/ANotBlank.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..41b330c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/blackbox-test/src/test/java/example/avaje/notblank/ANotBlank.java
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+package example.avaje.notblank;
+
+import io.avaje.validation.constraints.NotBlank;
+import jakarta.validation.Valid;
+
+@Valid
+public record ANotBlank(
+  @NotBlank
+  String basic,
+  @NotBlank(max = 4)
+  String withMax,
+
+  @NotBlank(max = 4, message = "NotBlank n max 4")
+  String withCustom
+) {
+}
diff --git a/blackbox-test/src/test/java/example/avaje/notblank/ANotBlankTest.java b/blackbox-test/src/test/java/example/avaje/notblank/ANotBlankTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3bb2b087
--- /dev/null
+++ b/blackbox-test/src/test/java/example/avaje/notblank/ANotBlankTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+package example.avaje.notblank;
+
+import io.avaje.validation.ConstraintViolation;
+import io.avaje.validation.ConstraintViolationException;
+import io.avaje.validation.Validator;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Locale;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.fail;
+
+class ANotBlankTest {
+
+  final Validator validator = Validator.builder().addLocales(Locale.GERMAN).build();
+
+  @Test
+  void valid() {
+    var value = new ANotBlank("ok", "ok", "ok");
+    validator.validate(value);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void inValidNull() {
+    var value = new ANotBlank(null, null, null);
+    try {
+      validator.validate(value);
+      fail("not get here");
+    } catch (ConstraintViolationException e) {
+      assertThat(e.violations()).hasSize(3);
+    }
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void invalidBlank() {
+    var violation = one(new ANotBlank("", "ok", "ok"));
+    assertThat(violation.message()).isEqualTo("must not be blank");
+
+    var violation1 = one(new ANotBlank("ok", " ", "ok"));
+    assertThat(violation1.message()).isEqualTo("must not be blank");
+
+    var violation2 = one(new ANotBlank("ok", "ok", "\t"));
+    assertThat(violation2.message()).isEqualTo("NotBlank n max 4");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void invalidMax() {
+    var violation = one(new ANotBlank("ok", "NotValid", "ok"));
+    assertThat(violation.message()).isEqualTo("maximum length 4 exceeded");
+
+    var violation1 = one(new ANotBlank("ok", "ok", "NotValid"));
+    assertThat(violation1.message()).isEqualTo("NotBlank n max 4");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void invalidAsDE() {
+    var violation = one(new ANotBlank(" ", "ok", "ok"), Locale.GERMAN);
+    assertThat(violation.message()).isEqualTo("darf nicht leer sein");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void invalidWithMaxDE() {
+    var violation = one(new ANotBlank("ok", "NotValid", "ok"), Locale.GERMAN);
+    assertThat(violation.message()).isEqualTo("Länge muss zwischen 1 und 4 sein");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void invalidCustomMessageDE() {
+    var violation = one(new ANotBlank("ok", "ok", "NotValid"), Locale.GERMAN);
+    assertThat(violation.message()).isEqualTo("NotBlank n max 4");
+  }
+
+  ConstraintViolation one(Object any) {
+    return one(any, Locale.ENGLISH);
+  }
+
+  ConstraintViolation one(Object any, Locale locale) {
+    try {
+      validator.validate(any, locale);
+      fail("not expected");
+      return null;
+    } catch (ConstraintViolationException e) {
+      var violations = new ArrayList<>(e.violations());
+      assertThat(violations).hasSize(1);
+      return violations.get(0);
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/validator-constraints/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/constraints/NotBlank.java b/validator-constraints/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/constraints/NotBlank.java
index f09cd654..42c1e5b2 100644
--- a/validator-constraints/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/constraints/NotBlank.java
+++ b/validator-constraints/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/constraints/NotBlank.java
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@
 @Repeatable(List.class)
 public @interface NotBlank {
 
+  /** Set the maximum length. By default this is 0 meaning unlimited. */
+  int max() default 0;
+
   String message() default "{avaje.NotBlank.message}";
 
   Class<?>[] groups() default {};
diff --git a/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/adapter/ValidationContext.java b/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/adapter/ValidationContext.java
index 00445fdb..5980e432 100644
--- a/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/adapter/ValidationContext.java
+++ b/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/adapter/ValidationContext.java
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ interface AdapterCreateRequest {
 
     Message message();
 
-    Message message(String key);
+    Message message(String key, Object... extraKeyValues);
 
     String targetType();
 
diff --git a/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/core/CoreAdapterBuilder.java b/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/core/CoreAdapterBuilder.java
index b3c1d6cb..d78ceeae 100644
--- a/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/core/CoreAdapterBuilder.java
+++ b/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/core/CoreAdapterBuilder.java
@@ -134,9 +134,14 @@ public ValidationContext.Message message() {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public ValidationContext.Message message(String messageKey) {
+    public ValidationContext.Message message(String messageKey, Object... extraKeyValues) {
       Map<String, Object> newAttributes = new HashMap<>(attributes);
       newAttributes.put("message", messageKey);
+      if (extraKeyValues != null) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < extraKeyValues.length; i += 2) {
+          newAttributes.put(String.valueOf(extraKeyValues[i]), extraKeyValues[i + 1]);
+        }
+      }
       return ctx.message(newAttributes);
     }
   }
diff --git a/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/core/adapters/BasicAdapters.java b/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/core/adapters/BasicAdapters.java
index 1a82ee7d..abac981d 100644
--- a/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/core/adapters/BasicAdapters.java
+++ b/validator/src/main/java/io/avaje/validation/core/adapters/BasicAdapters.java
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 package io.avaje.validation.core.adapters;
 
-import java.util.Collection;
-import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.*;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
@@ -99,7 +96,7 @@ private static boolean useLength(AdapterCreateRequest request) {
 
     @Override
     public boolean validate(Object value, ValidationRequest req, String propertyName) {
-      if (!checkGroups(groups, req) || value == null) {
+      if (value == null || !checkGroups(groups, req)) {
         return true;
       }
 
@@ -132,15 +129,47 @@ public boolean validate(Object value, ValidationRequest req, String propertyName
     }
   }
 
-  private static final class NotBlankAdapter extends AbstractConstraintAdapter<CharSequence> {
+  private static final class NotBlankAdapter implements ValidationAdapter<CharSequence> {
+
+    private final ValidationContext.Message message;
+    private final ValidationContext.Message maxLengthMessage;
+    private final Set<Class<?>> groups;
+    private final int maxLength;
 
     NotBlankAdapter(AdapterCreateRequest request) {
-      super(request);
+      this.groups = request.groups();
+      this.message = request.message();
+      this.maxLength = maxLength(request);
+      if (maxLength > 0 && standardMessage(request)) {
+        maxLengthMessage = request.message("{avaje.Length.max.message}", "min", 1);
+      } else {
+        maxLengthMessage = null;
+      }
+    }
+
+    private static int maxLength(AdapterCreateRequest request) {
+      final Integer max = (Integer) request.attribute("max");
+      return Objects.requireNonNullElse(max, 0);
+    }
+
+    private static boolean standardMessage(AdapterCreateRequest request) {
+      return "{avaje.NotBlank.message}".equals(request.attribute("message"));
     }
 
     @Override
-    public boolean isValid(CharSequence cs) {
-      return (cs != null) && !isBlank(cs);
+    public boolean validate(CharSequence value, ValidationRequest req, String propertyName) {
+      if (!checkGroups(groups, req)) {
+        return true;
+      }
+      if (value == null || isBlank(value)) {
+        req.addViolation(message, propertyName);
+        return false;
+      }
+      if (maxLength > 0 && value.length() > maxLength) {
+        req.addViolation(maxLengthMessage != null ? maxLengthMessage : message, propertyName);
+        return false;
+      }
+      return true;
     }
 
     static boolean isBlank(final CharSequence cs) {
diff --git a/validator/src/main/resources/io/avaje/validation/Messages_en.properties b/validator/src/main/resources/io/avaje/validation/Messages_en.properties
index 3c66c064..3268d773 100644
--- a/validator/src/main/resources/io/avaje/validation/Messages_en.properties
+++ b/validator/src/main/resources/io/avaje/validation/Messages_en.properties
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
-## Intentionally blank
 avaje.Length.max.message      = maximum length {max} exceeded
 avaje.Size.max.message        = maximum size {max} exceeded