---
topic: cli-reference
source_keys:
  - context7-websites-vale-sh
---

## Core Invocation

```bash
$ vale README.md
```

Lints the given file(s)/glob against the styles configured in `.vale.ini`.

## Key Flags and Subcommands

| Command/Flag | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `vale sync` | Downloads and installs packages/styles declared in `.vale.ini`. Run after install and whenever `Packages` changes. |
| `vale ls-config` | Prints the currently active, fully-resolved configuration as JSON. Useful for debugging what settings actually apply to a file. |
| `--output=<style>` | Sets the output format/template: `line`, `JSON`, `CLI` (default), or a custom template. |
| `--no-exit` | Suppresses the non-zero exit code Vale normally returns when `error`-level alerts are found — useful in CI pipelines that shouldn't hard-fail on lint output. |
| `--ignore-syntax` | Treats input as plain, unformatted text, skipping syntax-aware parsing (Markdown/HTML/etc). |
| `--minAlertLevel=<level>` | Overrides `MinAlertLevel` from the config for this run (`suggestion`, `warning`, `error`). Filters what is displayed; does not affect the exit code. |
| `--version` | Prints the Vale binary version. |

## Exit Codes

By default, `vale` exits non-zero only when it finds at least one `error`-level alert — this is what makes it usable as a CI gate. `warning` and `suggestion` alerts are printed but still exit `0`, so a rule that must gate CI or a commit hook has to be `level: error`. `MinAlertLevel` and `--minAlertLevel` filter which alerts are displayed and never affect the exit code. Pass `--no-exit` to always exit `0` regardless of findings.