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wtf is vale?

vinckr/vale — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2022-10-05

Audience · writerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · moderate

TL;DR

A set of machine-readable style guide and vocabulary rules for the Vale prose linter, used to automatically check writing for consistency and tone.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Prose linting rules
      Style guide files
      Custom vocab lists
    Tech stack
      Vale
    Use cases
      Consistent docs
      Blog style checks
      CI writing checks
    Audience
      Technical writers
      Content marketers
      Doc maintainers
    Concepts
      Passive voice rules
      Preferred terms
      Forbidden terms

Code map

Detail Auto

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Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Enforce consistent terminology like preferred spellings across a team's documentation

REASON 2

Automatically flag jargon or passive voice in blog posts and help articles

REASON 3

Plug style and vocab rules into an editor or CI/CD pipeline for instant writing feedback

REASON 4

Maintain a custom dictionary of allowed and forbidden words for a brand voice

What's in the stack?

Vale

How it stacks up

vinckr/vale0verflowme/alarm-clock0verflowme/seclists
Language—CSS—
Last pushed2022-10-052022-10-032020-05-03
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultymoderateeasyeasy
Complexity2/52/51/5
Audiencewritervibe coderops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 1h+

README is minimal, requires exploring the files or consulting Vale's main docs to apply the styles.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me set up these Vale style and vocab files in my CI pipeline to lint documentation automatically
Prompt 2
Show me how to customize the vocab files here to enforce my team's preferred terminology
Prompt 3
Explain how Vale's style rules work so I can add a new rule that flags overly jargony words
Prompt 4
Using this repo as a starting point, help me write a style guide that enforces consistent heading formatting

Frequently asked questions

wtf is vale?

A set of machine-readable style guide and vocabulary rules for the Vale prose linter, used to automatically check writing for consistency and tone.

Is vale actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2022-10-05).

How hard is vale to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is vale for?

Mainly writer.

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