> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.coderabbit.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Vale

> CodeRabbit runs Vale to check changed prose against the repository's editorial style rules.

[Vale](https://vale.sh) is a prose linter that checks text against repository-defined editorial style rules. CodeRabbit runs Vale version 3.17.1.

## Files

Vale runs on changed files with the following extensions:

* `.md`
* `.markdown`
* `.txt`

CodeRabbit checks only regular files that still exist within the repository. It ignores files reached through symbolic links and paths outside the repository.

## Configuration

Vale is enabled by default. Enable or disable it with `.coderabbit.yaml` or the CodeRabbit web UI:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title=".coderabbit.yaml">
    ```yaml .coderabbit.yaml theme={null}
    reviews:
      tools:
        vale:
          enabled: true
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Web UI">
    Go to **Reviews → Tools → Vale** in your organization or repository settings and toggle Vale on or off.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

CodeRabbit runs Vale only when one of these configuration files exists at the repository root:

* `.vale.ini`
* `_vale.ini`
* `vale.ini`
* `.vale`
* `_vale`

When more than one is present, CodeRabbit uses the first file in the order shown above. Vale uses the checked-in styles and rules referenced by that configuration.

## Security policy and restrictions

Vale runs offline in the CodeRabbit sandbox with global configuration disabled. CodeRabbit does not run `vale sync`, so package declarations cannot download styles or other dependencies during a review.

Configurations that set `NLPEndpoint` are not supported because the review sandbox does not allow Vale to contact external NLP services.

## When we skip Vale

CodeRabbit skips Vale when:

* No changed `.md`, `.markdown`, or `.txt` files exist.
* `reviews.tools.vale.enabled` is set to `false`.
* No supported Vale configuration file exists at the repository root.
* Vale is already running in the repository's GitHub Actions workflows.

## Profile behavior

The Chill and Assertive review profiles do not change Vale's rules. Vale uses the rules and alert levels defined by the repository's configuration and styles.

## Links

* [Vale documentation](https://vale.sh/docs)
* [Vale GitHub repository](https://github.com/vale-cli/vale)