Vale Setup¶

Vale is a syntax-aware prose linter with a rich plugin ecosystem. Language Check integrates Vale as a first-class engine alongside Harper and LanguageTool.

Installing Vale¶

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install vale

Scoop (Windows)

scoop install vale

Binary download

Download from GitHub Releases and place vale on your $PATH.

Verify with:

vale --version

Enabling Vale¶

Add vale: true to your .languagecheck.yaml:

engines:
  harper: true
  vale: true

Or use the Language Check: Toggle Vale command from the VS Code command palette.

Vale Configuration¶

Vale uses its own .vale.ini config file for styles, packages, and per-glob settings. Language Check does not replace this — you manage Vale’s config separately and Language Check invokes Vale with it.

Minimal `.vale.ini`¶

StylesPath = styles
MinAlertLevel = suggestion
Packages = Google

[*]
BasedOnStyles = Vale, Google

After creating the config, run:

vale sync

This downloads the packages listed in Packages into the StylesPath directory.

Pointing to a custom config¶

If your .vale.ini is not in the workspace root, specify the path:

engines:
  vale: true
  vale_config: "config/.vale.ini"

When omitted, Vale uses its own config search logic (current directory upward, then the global config).

Style Packages¶

Vale’s style explorer offers curated packages:

Package	Focus
Google	Google developer documentation
Microsoft	Microsoft writing guidelines
write-good	English prose (weasel words, passive voice)
proselint	General prose advice
Readability	Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, etc.
alex	Inclusive, considerate writing

Enable packages in .vale.ini:

Packages = Google, write-good, proselint

[*]
BasedOnStyles = Vale, Google, write-good, proselint

How it Works¶

Language Check sends document text to Vale via stdin with:

vale --output=JSON --no-exit --ext=.md [--config=<path>]

Vale’s JSON output is parsed and converted to Language Check diagnostics:

Vale field	Language Check mapping
`Severity: "error"`	Error severity
`Severity: "warning"`	Warning severity
`Severity: "suggestion"`	Hint severity
`Check`	Rule ID prefixed with `vale.`
`Action.Params`	Fix suggestions
`Line` + `Span`	Byte offsets

Rule Overrides¶

Override Vale rule severities in .languagecheck.yaml using the vale.<Style>.<Rule> format:

rules:
  vale.Google.We:
    severity: "off"       # Disable this rule
  vale.Vale.Spelling:
    severity: warning     # Downgrade from error

High Performance Mode¶

Vale is skipped when performance.high_performance_mode is enabled, since it requires spawning an external process.