> For clean Markdown content of this page, append .md to this URL. For the complete documentation index, see https://buildwithfern.com/learn/llms.txt.

# Using Vale

> Learn how to set up Vale to lint your Fern documentation and maintain consistent writing style across your docs.

[Vale](https://vale.sh/) is an open-source linting tool that helps maintain consistent writing style and catch common errors in documentation.

Use Vale with your Fern docs to automatically check for style issues and enforce writing guidelines. Vale runs locally or in CI/CD to catch issues before they're published.

## Setup

#### Install Vale

[Install Vale](https://vale.sh/docs/vale-cli/installation/) on your local machine.

#### Create a \`.vale.ini\` file in your repository root

Create a [`.vale.ini` file](https://vale.sh/docs/vale-ini) and add the following to it so Vale parses MDX files as Markdown:

**`vale.ini`**

```txt vale.ini
[formats]
mdx = md
```

#### Add style rules

[Import existing Vale style packages](https://vale.sh/explorer) or create your own [style rules](https://vale.sh/docs/styles).

#### Check your docs

Check your entire documentation set, all pages in a directory, or a specific page:

```bash
vale fern/
vale fern/pages/payments/
vale fern/pages/payments/overview.mdx
```

#### Disable Vale for certain kinds of content

To disable Vale in specific sections of your Fern docs, use Vale comments wrapped in MDX syntax. This is particularly useful for code blocks, where Vale might flag variable names or code syntax as style violations.

**`Example Vale Usage`**

````jsx Example Vale Usage maxLines=10
Vale will check this text.

{/* <!-- vale off --> */}

Vale won't check this text

<CodeBlock>
```typescript
import { PlantClient } from "@plantstore/sdk";

const client = new PlantClient({ apiKey: "YOUR_API_KEY" });
const plant = await client.createPlant({
  name: "Monstera",
  species: "Monstera deliciosa"
});
```
</CodeBlock>

{/* <!-- vale on --> */}

Vale will start checking this text again.
````

#### Automate Vale (optional)

Consider integrating Vale into your workflow so it runs automatically for all contributors:

* **GitHub Actions**: Use the [Vale Action](https://github.com/errata-ai/vale-action) to run Vale on pull requests and add inline comments on style issues
* **Pre-commit hooks**: Use [Vale's pre-commit integration](https://vale.sh/docs/integrations/pre-commit) to check files before they're committed

This helps enforce consistent style standards across your documentation team without requiring manual Vale runs.

> Learn how to set up Vale to lint your Fern documentation and maintain consistent writing style across your docs.