fix(vale-config): correct the missing-style failure mode

Gotcha 1 said a style in BasedOnStyles that is not built-in and not
already under StylesPath "finds nothing until vale sync fetches it — a
clean run is not proof anything linted". Reproduced against vale 3.15.2:
that case is a hard `E100 [loadStyles] style '<name>' does not exist on
StylesPath`, exit 2. Nothing is linted and nothing is silent.

Worse, the same commit deleted the Gotcha that was the actual diagnostic —
that Packages and BasedOnStyles are separate keys and a style lints only
once it is in both. So the surviving rule sent a reader staring at E100 to
run `vale sync`, which fetches only what Packages declares and reports
"Synced 0 package(s)" against a BasedOnStyles-only name. The remediation
loop did not terminate. Reproduced end to end.

The genuinely silent case is the reverse — declared in Packages and
synced, but absent from BasedOnStyles — and it is now the one labelled as
such. Testing also turned up that StylesPath must exist as a directory
even when Vale is the only style (E201, exit 2), which was documented
nowhere.

references/configuration-reference.md gains a seven-row resolution matrix,
each row backed by a fixture. Its Frontmatter Scopes section claimed
provenance from the vale.sh research corpus, which contains no frontmatter
material at all; it is house-verified and now says so under its own slug.

Issue #99's wave-3 comment recorded this defect as found and repaired. It
was not — the file was byte-identical to the commit that introduced it, so
nothing here was treated as already correct.

Refs #99

plugins/lint/.apm/skills/vale-config/SKILL.md

@@ -11,11 +11,14 @@ metadata:
   version: "0.1.1"
   source_keys:
     - context7-websites-vale-sh
+    - house-vale-3-15-2-repro
 ---
 
 ## Gotchas
 
-- A style in `BasedOnStyles` that is neither built-in nor already under `StylesPath` finds nothing until `vale sync` fetches it — a clean run is not proof anything linted.
+- A style in `BasedOnStyles` that is neither built-in nor a directory under `StylesPath` fails hard, not silently: `E100 [loadStyles]`, exit 2, nothing linted.
+- `vale sync` alone does not clear that `E100`. Sync fetches only what the top-level `Packages` key declares, so against a `BasedOnStyles`-only name it reports `Synced 0 package(s)` and exits 0, fetching nothing. Add the style to `Packages`, then sync. A style lints only once it is in both keys — and the reverse case is silent, exiting 0.
+- Only *package* styles need fetching: built-in `Vale`, and any style whose YAML is already committed under `StylesPath`, lint with no `Packages` entry and no sync.
 - `.vale.ini` is order-sensitive: core settings first, then `[formats]`, then glob sections. Anything written below a glob header applies only to files matching that glob.
 - A rule scoped to `text.frontmatter.<key>` silently matches nothing when the field spans multiple lines in most YAML forms. If you scope a rule to frontmatter, read `references/configuration-reference.md` first.
 
@@ -42,7 +45,7 @@ metadata:
 - [ ] **Sync**: run `vale sync` to download everything listed in `Packages` into `StylesPath`.
 - [ ] **Verify activation**: confirm every style named in `Packages` also appears in at least one glob's `BasedOnStyles` — an unreferenced package downloads but never lints anything.
 
-For the full `.vale.ini` field reference (formats mapping, vocab, local overrides, custom rule header fields), read `references/configuration-reference.md`.
+For the full `.vale.ini` field reference (formats mapping, vocab, local overrides, custom rule header fields) and the verified style-resolution matrix — which error each misconfiguration raises, and the two that exit 0 while linting nothing — read `references/configuration-reference.md`.
 
 ## Custom styles
 

plugins/lint/.apm/skills/vale-config/references/configuration-reference.md

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 topic: configuration-reference
 source_keys:
   - context7-websites-vale-sh
+  - house-vale-3-15-2-repro
 ---
 
 ## Core Settings
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ Individual rule YAML files (under a style's directory) support these header fiel
 
 The underlying functions a rule's `extends` field can reference: `existence`, `substitution`, `occurrence`, `repetition`, `consistency`, `conditional`, `capitalization`, `metric`, `spelling`, `sequence`, `script`.
 
-## Built-in Style
+## Style Resolution
 
 Only *package* styles need fetching. A style whose YAML rule files are already committed under `StylesPath` lints immediately, with no `Packages` entry and no `vale sync`; the same is true of the built-in `Vale` style, which ships with the binary and contains four rules:
 
@@ -77,11 +78,23 @@ Only *package* styles need fetching. A style whose YAML rule files are already c
 - `Vale.Avoid` — enforces the project's rejected vocabulary terms.
 - `Vale.Repetition` — flags repeated words (e.g. "the the").
 
+`Packages` (top-level, what `vale sync` downloads) and `BasedOnStyles` (per-glob, what activates) are separate keys: a style lints a file only once it is in both. Every row below reproduced against Vale 3.15.2 (slug `house-vale-3-15-2-repro`):
+
+| Configuration | Result |
+|---|---|
+| `BasedOnStyles` names a style with no directory under `StylesPath`, not built-in | `E100 [loadStyles] Runtime error` — `style 'X' does not exist on StylesPath`, exit 2 |
+| `StylesPath` directory itself absent, even with only `Vale` active | `E201 Invalid value` — `The path '...' does not exist`, exit 2 |
+| `vale sync` with a name in `BasedOnStyles` but not `Packages` | `SUCCESS Synced 0 package(s)`, exit 0, nothing downloaded — the next lint repeats the `E100` |
+| `vale sync` with the name added to `Packages` | package lands under `StylesPath`, exit 0; lint then loads it |
+| Style in `Packages` and synced, but in no glob's `BasedOnStyles` | 0 findings, exit 0 — downloads, never lints, indistinguishable from a clean run |
+| `BasedOnStyles` names an *empty* directory under `StylesPath` | 0 findings, exit 0 — loads and lints nothing; `vale sync` never produces this state |
+| Built-in `Vale`, or a style's YAML committed under `StylesPath` | lints immediately, no `Packages` entry, no sync |
+
 ## Frontmatter Scopes
 
-A rule scoped to `text.frontmatter.<key>` (e.g. `text.frontmatter.description`) matches reliably when that field's value is a single physical line, and breaks on most — not all — multi-line forms.
+House-verified behaviour, not documented on vale.sh — reproduced locally against Vale 3.15.2 (slug `house-vale-3-15-2-repro`).
 
-Confirmed against Vale 3.15.2, multi-line forms spanning 2+ lines:
+A rule scoped to `text.frontmatter.<key>` (e.g. `text.frontmatter.description`) matches reliably when that field's value is a single physical line, and breaks on most — not all — multi-line forms. Multi-line forms spanning 2+ lines:
 
 | Frontmatter value form | Result |
 |---|---|

plugins/lint/.apm/skills/vale-config/references/sources.md

@@ -7,3 +7,11 @@
 - **Research doc:** plugins/lint/docs/research/docs/vale/sources.md
 - **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/configuration-reference.md
 - **Status:** `extracted`
+
+## house-vale-3-15-2-repro
+
+- **URL:** (house-verified — reproduced locally against the `vale` binary, not an external source)
+- **Description:** Behaviour of Vale 3.15.2 established by running it against purpose-built fixtures in this repo, where vale.sh documents nothing: the `E100 [loadStyles]` / exit-2 failure for a `BasedOnStyles` name absent from `StylesPath`, `vale sync` reporting `Synced 0 package(s)` for a name not declared in `Packages`, the `E201` / exit-2 failure when the `StylesPath` directory does not exist, the exit-0 no-op of an empty style directory, and the `text.frontmatter.<key>` scope matrix across multi-line YAML forms.
+- **Research doc:** none — house-verified reproduction, not part of the plugin's research corpus (no `plugins/lint/docs/research/` topic file backs this entry)
+- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/configuration-reference.md
+- **Status:** `extracted`

plugins/lint/skills/vale-config/SKILL.md

@@ -11,11 +11,14 @@ metadata:
   version: "0.1.1"
   source_keys:
     - context7-websites-vale-sh
+    - house-vale-3-15-2-repro
 ---
 
 ## Gotchas
 
-- A style in `BasedOnStyles` that is neither built-in nor already under `StylesPath` finds nothing until `vale sync` fetches it — a clean run is not proof anything linted.
+- A style in `BasedOnStyles` that is neither built-in nor a directory under `StylesPath` fails hard, not silently: `E100 [loadStyles]`, exit 2, nothing linted.
+- `vale sync` alone does not clear that `E100`. Sync fetches only what the top-level `Packages` key declares, so against a `BasedOnStyles`-only name it reports `Synced 0 package(s)` and exits 0, fetching nothing. Add the style to `Packages`, then sync. A style lints only once it is in both keys — and the reverse case is silent, exiting 0.
+- Only *package* styles need fetching: built-in `Vale`, and any style whose YAML is already committed under `StylesPath`, lint with no `Packages` entry and no sync.
 - `.vale.ini` is order-sensitive: core settings first, then `[formats]`, then glob sections. Anything written below a glob header applies only to files matching that glob.
 - A rule scoped to `text.frontmatter.<key>` silently matches nothing when the field spans multiple lines in most YAML forms. If you scope a rule to frontmatter, read `references/configuration-reference.md` first.
 
@@ -42,7 +45,7 @@ metadata:
 - [ ] **Sync**: run `vale sync` to download everything listed in `Packages` into `StylesPath`.
 - [ ] **Verify activation**: confirm every style named in `Packages` also appears in at least one glob's `BasedOnStyles` — an unreferenced package downloads but never lints anything.
 
-For the full `.vale.ini` field reference (formats mapping, vocab, local overrides, custom rule header fields), read `references/configuration-reference.md`.
+For the full `.vale.ini` field reference (formats mapping, vocab, local overrides, custom rule header fields) and the verified style-resolution matrix — which error each misconfiguration raises, and the two that exit 0 while linting nothing — read `references/configuration-reference.md`.
 
 ## Custom styles
 

plugins/lint/skills/vale-config/references/configuration-reference.md

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 topic: configuration-reference
 source_keys:
   - context7-websites-vale-sh
+  - house-vale-3-15-2-repro
 ---
 
 ## Core Settings
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ Individual rule YAML files (under a style's directory) support these header fiel
 
 The underlying functions a rule's `extends` field can reference: `existence`, `substitution`, `occurrence`, `repetition`, `consistency`, `conditional`, `capitalization`, `metric`, `spelling`, `sequence`, `script`.
 
-## Built-in Style
+## Style Resolution
 
 Only *package* styles need fetching. A style whose YAML rule files are already committed under `StylesPath` lints immediately, with no `Packages` entry and no `vale sync`; the same is true of the built-in `Vale` style, which ships with the binary and contains four rules:
 
@@ -77,11 +78,23 @@ Only *package* styles need fetching. A style whose YAML rule files are already c
 - `Vale.Avoid` — enforces the project's rejected vocabulary terms.
 - `Vale.Repetition` — flags repeated words (e.g. "the the").
 
+`Packages` (top-level, what `vale sync` downloads) and `BasedOnStyles` (per-glob, what activates) are separate keys: a style lints a file only once it is in both. Every row below reproduced against Vale 3.15.2 (slug `house-vale-3-15-2-repro`):
+
+| Configuration | Result |
+|---|---|
+| `BasedOnStyles` names a style with no directory under `StylesPath`, not built-in | `E100 [loadStyles] Runtime error` — `style 'X' does not exist on StylesPath`, exit 2 |
+| `StylesPath` directory itself absent, even with only `Vale` active | `E201 Invalid value` — `The path '...' does not exist`, exit 2 |
+| `vale sync` with a name in `BasedOnStyles` but not `Packages` | `SUCCESS Synced 0 package(s)`, exit 0, nothing downloaded — the next lint repeats the `E100` |
+| `vale sync` with the name added to `Packages` | package lands under `StylesPath`, exit 0; lint then loads it |
+| Style in `Packages` and synced, but in no glob's `BasedOnStyles` | 0 findings, exit 0 — downloads, never lints, indistinguishable from a clean run |
+| `BasedOnStyles` names an *empty* directory under `StylesPath` | 0 findings, exit 0 — loads and lints nothing; `vale sync` never produces this state |
+| Built-in `Vale`, or a style's YAML committed under `StylesPath` | lints immediately, no `Packages` entry, no sync |
+
 ## Frontmatter Scopes
 
-A rule scoped to `text.frontmatter.<key>` (e.g. `text.frontmatter.description`) matches reliably when that field's value is a single physical line, and breaks on most — not all — multi-line forms.
+House-verified behaviour, not documented on vale.sh — reproduced locally against Vale 3.15.2 (slug `house-vale-3-15-2-repro`).
 
-Confirmed against Vale 3.15.2, multi-line forms spanning 2+ lines:
+A rule scoped to `text.frontmatter.<key>` (e.g. `text.frontmatter.description`) matches reliably when that field's value is a single physical line, and breaks on most — not all — multi-line forms. Multi-line forms spanning 2+ lines:
 
 | Frontmatter value form | Result |
 |---|---|

plugins/lint/skills/vale-config/references/sources.md

@@ -7,3 +7,11 @@
 - **Research doc:** plugins/lint/docs/research/docs/vale/sources.md
 - **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/configuration-reference.md
 - **Status:** `extracted`
+
+## house-vale-3-15-2-repro
+
+- **URL:** (house-verified — reproduced locally against the `vale` binary, not an external source)
+- **Description:** Behaviour of Vale 3.15.2 established by running it against purpose-built fixtures in this repo, where vale.sh documents nothing: the `E100 [loadStyles]` / exit-2 failure for a `BasedOnStyles` name absent from `StylesPath`, `vale sync` reporting `Synced 0 package(s)` for a name not declared in `Packages`, the `E201` / exit-2 failure when the `StylesPath` directory does not exist, the exit-0 no-op of an empty style directory, and the `text.frontmatter.<key>` scope matrix across multi-line YAML forms.
+- **Research doc:** none — house-verified reproduction, not part of the plugin's research corpus (no `plugins/lint/docs/research/` topic file backs this entry)
+- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md, references/configuration-reference.md
+- **Status:** `extracted`