Need more than a rule playground?

Explore Vale CMS
Open source · MIT licensed · 5.6K

Vale is a linter for prose

A command-line tool that brings code-like linting to your writing. Enforce a consistent editorial style across every doc, in any format—entirely offline.

bash — vale
$ vale README.md
README.md
4:3 error Did you really mean 'existant'? Vale.Spelling
6:12 warning Use 'use' instead of 'utilize'. Microsoft.Vocab
9:1 suggestion In general, use active voice. write-good.Passive
1 error, 1 warning and 1 suggestion in 1 file.

Shipping in the documentation pipelines of

  • Microsoft
  • Amazon Web Services
  • NVIDIA
  • Texas Instruments
  • GitLab
  • Red Hat
  • Grafana Labs
  • Datadog
  • Docker
  • Spectro Cloud

Why Vale

Linting built for the way you write

The precision of a code linter, applied to prose—so quality and consistency stop being a manual review step.

Markup-aware

Lints prose in Markdown, AsciiDoc, reStructuredText, HTML, and code—ignoring the syntax.

#Installation
You can **utilize** Vale to lint [prose](/docs)—it ignores syntax like `code` and URLs.
warning Use 'use' instead of 'utilize'. Microsoft.Vocab

Private by design

Runs entirely offline. Your content is never sent to a remote server for processing or training.

Fast, single binary

Built in Go with no runtime dependencies. Drop it into any editor, CI pipeline, or pre-commit hook.

Fully customizable

Write your own rules in YAML—no plugins to compile. Match your brand voice, share across a team.

# styles/Brand/Terms.yml
extends: existence
message: "Avoid '%s'."
level: warning
tokens:
-utilize
-leverage

Style guides included

Ready-made Microsoft, Google, and other popular guides, plus community packages.

StylesPath = styles
MinAlertLevel = suggestion
[*.md]
BasedOnStyles = Vale, Microsoft, Google
ValeMicrosoftGooglewrite-goodproselintRed Hat

Runs everywhere

One tool for macOS, Windows, and Linux—MIT-licensed, open source, and actively maintained.

One tool, every app

More than just a command-line interface.

Vale integrates with many popular apps, browsers, and platforms—including VS Code, Google Chrome, GitHub Actions, and more.

App screenshot

Adopters

Teams running Vale

Every entry links to a public .vale.ini, style package, or write-up.

58 teams shown

Infrastructure

Special thanks to

GitBook

hosts docs.vale.sh

Community plan

Ready to start linting?
Install now.