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The default Vale command lints files, directories, or text input against your configured style rules. This is Vale’s primary operation.

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Usage

vale [options] [input...]
The lint command is the default operation—you don’t need to specify a command name. Just run vale followed by your input.

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Input Methods

Vale accepts three types of input, automatically detecting which method you’re using:

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Files and Directories

Provide one or more file or directory paths: 
vale README.md
vale docs/guide.md docs/api.md
vale content/
When linting directories, Vale recursively processes all files matching your configuration’s format settings.

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String Arguments

If the argument doesn’t match an existing file or directory path, Vale treats it as literal text to lint: 
vale "This is some text to check for errors."
The text is linted as if it were a .txt file (or use --ext to specify a different format).

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Standard Input

Pipe content to Vale via stdin: 
cat myfile.md | vale
echo "Some text" | vale --ext=.md
git diff | vale --ext=.txt
When using stdin, use the --ext flag to specify the file format so Vale applies the correct syntax processing. Use --path to match configuration scope patterns.

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Output Formats

Control output format with the --output flag:
Human-readable terminal output with color and formatting:
vale myfile.md

myfile.md
 1:10  error  Use 'web' instead of 'internet'.  Style.Terms
 3:5   warning  Consider removing 'very'.        Vale.Adverbs

✖ 1 error, 1 warning

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Common Options

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--config
string
Specify a custom configuration file path.
vale --config=/path/to/.vale.ini myfile.md
By default, Vale searches for .vale.ini in the current directory and parent directories.
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--minAlertLevel
string
Set the minimum alert severity to display. Valid values: suggestion, warning, error.
vale --minAlertLevel=error myfile.md
Only alerts at or above this level will be shown in output and affect the exit code.
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--glob
string
default:"*"
Filter files using a glob pattern when linting directories.
vale --glob='*.{md,mdx}' docs/
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--filter
string
Apply only rules matching the filter expression.
# Only check spelling rules
vale --filter='*.Spelling' myfile.md

# Only check rules from the Microsoft style
vale --filter='Microsoft.*' myfile.md
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--ignore-syntax
boolean
default:"false"
Disable syntax-aware processing and lint files line-by-line as plain text.
vale --ignore-syntax myfile.md
This can be faster but loses context from markup structure.
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--no-exit
boolean
default:"false"
Always exit with code 0, even when errors are found.
vale --no-exit myfile.md
Useful in CI when you want to see results but not fail the build.
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--ext
string
default:".txt"
Specify the file extension for stdin input.
echo "# Heading" | vale --ext=.md
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--path
string
Associate a file path with stdin for configuration matching.
cat content.md | vale --path=docs/guide.md
The path helps Vale determine which configuration scope to apply based on your .vale.ini patterns.

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Examples

vale README.md

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How Vale Processes Files

1

Configuration loading

Vale searches for .vale.ini starting in the current directory and moving up the directory tree. It then loads styles and rules based on your configuration.
2

File discovery

For directory inputs, Vale recursively finds files matching your format associations and glob patterns.
3

Syntax processing

Vale parses each file using a markup-aware processor based on the file extension (Markdown, AsciiDoc, HTML, etc.).
4

Scope matching

Vale applies rules to specific parts of the document based on scope configuration (e.g., only headings, or skip code blocks).
5

Rule execution

Each enabled rule is tested against the scoped text, generating alerts for matches.
6

Output generation

Alerts are formatted according to the output format and filtered by minimum alert level.

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Exit Codes

CodeCondition
0No errors found, or --no-exit was used
1One or more lint errors at or above minAlertLevel
2Runtime error (invalid config, file not found, permission denied)
Use --no-exit in CI pipelines when you want to collect lint results without failing the build.

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Configuration Matching

Vale applies different configurations based on file paths using glob patterns in your .vale.ini:
.vale.ini
[*.md]
BasedOnStyles = Vale, MyStyle

[docs/*.md]
BasedOnStyles = Vale, MyStyle, APIStyle
When linting, Vale determines which configuration section matches each file and applies those rules.
The --path option lets you specify a virtual path for stdin input, allowing Vale to match the correct configuration section.

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Performance Tips

  • Use --glob to limit which files are processed
  • Use --filter to check only specific rules when debugging
  • Use --ignore-syntax for faster processing of large plain text files
  • Configure .vale.ini to exclude directories with IgnorePaths

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