Vale

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

Vale is a prose linter that checks text against repository-defined editorial style rules.

CodeRabbit runs Vale v3.23.0.

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

enabled · boolean · default: true

Enable Vale: Vale checks prose against repository-defined editorial style rules. It runs only when a supported root Vale configuration is present.

.coderabbit.yaml

.coderabbit.yaml

reviews:
  tools:
    vale:
      enabled: true

Web UI

In your organization or repository settings, go to Reviews → Tools and turn the tool on or off with its toggle.

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 GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, or Azure Pipelines.

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
• Vale GitHub repository