Vale
Command-line prose linter that enforces a style guide you choose, in your editor and CI, offline.
Turn your team's style rules into checks that run in your editor and CI.
Vale is a command-line linter for prose that checks writing against a style guide you pick, such as Microsoft or Google, or rules you write yourself. It suits documentation teams and technical writers who want consistent style enforced automatically.
What it is
You install one binary, add a config file and sync style packages, then run vale on Markdown, AsciiDoc, reStructuredText, HTML and more. Rules are YAML files, and Vale can also check comments and docstrings in source code.
Who it's for
It suits documentation teams, developer-relations writers and editors who care about consistent terminology. It does not rewrite sentences or catch grammar the way an AI assistant does, and it needs some configuration.
Key features
Published style packages
Pull in Microsoft, Google, Red Hat and other style packages with one config line.
Rules as YAML
Write checks from token lists to part-of-speech patterns and readability rules.
Real markup parsing
Markdown, AsciiDoc, reStructuredText and HTML go through parsers instead of regex.
Code comment checking
Lifts comments and docstrings from source files with tree-sitter grammars.
Editor and CI use
Runs in your editor, in CI and alongside your code.
Offline by design
Nothing leaves your machine: no account, no upload, no training on your writing.
Up and running in 3 steps
Our honest verdict
What's great
- Enforces one house style across every writer, which grammar checkers do not.
- Single binary on macOS, Windows and Linux, plus Docker and package managers.
- MIT licence and fully offline.
- Large ecosystem of ready-made style packages.
Where it falls short
- It flags rule violations; it does not suggest rewrites or fix grammar like Grammarly.
- You must write a .vale.ini and choose packages before it is useful.
- Rule authoring in YAML is a learning curve for non-technical writers.
- The README says it has a single developer, so project continuity depends on sponsors.
Pricing & license
Vale is free under the MIT licence. The README shows no paid tier on the repo page; the project asks for sponsorship via GitHub Sponsors, and the only other cost is your own setup time.
Open remote AI-training roles
870 open remote AI-training roles, updated November 14, 2026; most pay $20–$170 an hour. Zekai lists them free; the application goes to the employer’s platform.
Alternatives
These reviewed AI tools do the same job instantly — from our scored directory.
Use it, or have us set it up
FAQ
Is Vale a Grammarly replacement?
Not directly. Vale enforces a style guide you configure; it does not generate rewrites or suggestions in the way an AI assistant does.
Does Vale send my text anywhere?
The README says nothing leaves your machine: no account, no upload and no training on your writing.
Which file formats does it check?
The README lists Markdown, AsciiDoc, reStructuredText and HTML, and links a fuller formats page.
