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Configuration Options Reference

CommentSense can be configured using EditorConfig (.editorconfig) files. All options are prefixed with comment_sense..

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Visibility and Scope

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visibility_level

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visibility_level
enum
default:"protected"
Specifies the visibility threshold for members that should be analyzed.Valid values:
  • public - Only public members
  • protected - Public and protected members (default)
  • internal - Public, protected, and internal members
  • private - All members including private
Example: 
comment_sense.visibility_level = protected

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exclude_constants

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exclude_constants
boolean
default:"false"
When enabled, constant fields are excluded from documentation requirements.
Example: 
comment_sense.exclude_constants = true

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exclude_enums

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exclude_enums
boolean
default:"false"
When enabled, enum members are excluded from documentation requirements.
Example: 
comment_sense.exclude_enums = true

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Inheritance Documentation

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allow_implicit_inheritdoc

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allow_implicit_inheritdoc
boolean
default:"true"
When enabled, members that override or implement base members without explicit documentation are treated as having implicit <inheritdoc />.
Example: 
comment_sense.allow_implicit_inheritdoc = true

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Documentation Quality

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min_summary_length

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min_summary_length
integer
default:"0"
The minimum required character length for summary documentation. Set to 0 to disable.
Example: 
comment_sense.min_summary_length = 15

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require_ending_punctuation

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require_ending_punctuation
boolean
default:"false"
When enabled, summary documentation must end with punctuation (., !, or ?).
Example: 
comment_sense.require_ending_punctuation = true

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require_capitalization

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require_capitalization
boolean
default:"false"
When enabled, summary documentation must start with a capital letter.
Example: 
comment_sense.require_capitalization = true

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similarity_threshold

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similarity_threshold
double
default:"0.0"
The threshold (0.0-1.0) for detecting when documentation text is too similar to the member name. Higher values are stricter. Set to 0.0 to disable.
Example: 
comment_sense.similarity_threshold = 0.75

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rename_similarity_threshold

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rename_similarity_threshold
double
default:"0.5"
The threshold (0.0-1.0) used for detecting renamed parameters in ghost reference detection. Values range from 0.0 (lenient) to 1.0 (strict).
Example: 
comment_sense.rename_similarity_threshold = 0.6

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low_quality_terms

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low_quality_terms
string[]
default:"[]"
A comma-separated list of terms that indicate low-quality documentation (e.g., “TODO”, “FIXME”). Documentation containing these terms will trigger CSENSE016.
Example: 
comment_sense.low_quality_terms = TODO,FIXME,HACK,XXX,WIP

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Language Keywords

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langwords

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langwords
string[]
default:"true,false,null,void"
A comma-separated list of C# keywords that should be wrapped in <see langword="..." /> tags.
Example: 
comment_sense.langwords = true,false,null,void,async,await

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Exception Documentation

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ignored_exceptions

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ignored_exceptions
string[]
default:"[]"
A comma-separated list of exception type names that should be ignored by CSENSE012 (missing exception documentation).
Example: 
comment_sense.ignored_exceptions = NotImplementedException,InvalidOperationException

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ignore_system_exceptions

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ignore_system_exceptions
boolean
default:"false"
When enabled, all exceptions in the System namespace are ignored by CSENSE012.
Example: 
comment_sense.ignore_system_exceptions = true

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ignored_exception_namespaces

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ignored_exception_namespaces
string[]
default:"[]"
A comma-separated list of namespaces whose exceptions should be ignored by CSENSE012.
Example: 
comment_sense.ignored_exception_namespaces = MyApp.Internal,ThirdParty.Exceptions

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scan_called_methods_for_exceptions

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scan_called_methods_for_exceptions
boolean
default:"false"
When enabled, CommentSense will scan methods called within the current method to detect exceptions they might throw. This is an experimental feature.
Example: 
comment_sense.scan_called_methods_for_exceptions = false

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Ghost References

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ghost_references.mode

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ghost_references.mode
enum
default:"safe"
Controls how aggressively CommentSense detects parameter and type parameter names mentioned in documentation without proper <paramref> or <typeparamref> tags.Valid values:
  • off - Ghost reference detection is disabled
  • safe - Only checks complex names (camelCase, PascalCase, underscores, or digits) and ignores all-lowercase words entirely
  • strict - Checks all parameters regardless of casing or length
Example: 
comment_sense.ghost_references.mode = safe

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Documentation Tag Order

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tag_order

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tag_order
string[]
A comma-separated list defining the expected order of XML documentation tags. Used by CSENSE024.
Default order:
  1. inheritdoc
  2. summary
  3. typeparam
  4. param
  5. returns / value (same priority)
  6. exception
  7. remarks
  8. example
  9. seealso
  10. permission
Example: 
comment_sense.tag_order = summary,param,returns,exception,remarks
Note: If you specify returns but not value, they will share the same priority. Similarly, if you specify value but not returns, they will share the same priority.

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Conditional Suppression

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enable_conditional_suppression

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enable_conditional_suppression
boolean
default:"false"
When enabled, CommentSense will suppress certain compiler warnings (like CS1591, CS1573, CS1574) that it already handles with its own diagnostics.
Example: 
comment_sense.enable_conditional_suppression = true

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Complete Example

Here’s a comprehensive .editorconfig example with commonly used options: 
root = true

[*.cs]
# Analyze public and protected members
comment_sense.visibility_level = protected

# Exclude constants and enums from documentation requirements
comment_sense.exclude_constants = true
comment_sense.exclude_enums = true

# Quality requirements
comment_sense.min_summary_length = 15
comment_sense.require_ending_punctuation = true
comment_sense.require_capitalization = true
comment_sense.similarity_threshold = 0.75

# Low-quality term detection
comment_sense.low_quality_terms = TODO,FIXME,HACK,XXX,WIP,UNDONE

# Keywords that should use langword
comment_sense.langwords = true,false,null,void,async,await

# Exception handling
comment_sense.ignored_exceptions = NotImplementedException
comment_sense.ignore_system_exceptions = false

# Ghost reference detection
comment_sense.ghost_references.mode = safe

# Inheritance documentation
comment_sense.allow_implicit_inheritdoc = true

# Tag ordering
comment_sense.tag_order = inheritdoc,summary,typeparam,param,returns,exception,remarks

# Conditional suppression
comment_sense.enable_conditional_suppression = true

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Configuration Scope

EditorConfig options can be scoped to specific directories or file patterns: 
# Global settings
root = true

# All C# files
[*.cs]
comment_sense.visibility_level = protected

# Only public API files
[src/PublicApi/**/*.cs]
comment_sense.visibility_level = public
comment_sense.min_summary_length = 30

# Test files can be less strict
[tests/**/*.cs]
comment_sense.visibility_level = public
comment_sense.exclude_constants = true

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Legacy Options

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analyze_internal (Deprecated)

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analyze_internal
boolean
default:"false"
Deprecated: Use visibility_level = internal instead.When enabled, internal members are analyzed in addition to public and protected members.
Migration: 
# Old way (deprecated)
comment_sense.analyze_internal = true

# New way
comment_sense.visibility_level = internal

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