> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.vale.sh/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.vale.sh/formats/front-matter.md).

# Front Matter

Learn how Vale handles front matter.

Front matter is linted in Markdown and its dialects (MDX, MyST, Quarto, R Markdown), AsciiDoc, reStructuredText, Org, Typst, and QDoc files.

There are 3 supported front matter types – YAML, TOML, and JSON. Each is recognized by the delimiters that open and close it:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="YAML" %}
Opening and closing `---` lines:

```yaml
---
name: "frontmatter"
---
rest of the content
```

Or an opening `---yaml` line with a closing `---`:

```yaml
---yaml
name: "frontmatter"
---
rest of the content
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="TOML" %}
Opening and closing `+++` lines:

```toml
+++
name = "frontmatter"
+++
rest of the content
```

Or an opening `---toml` line with a closing `---`:

```toml
---toml
name = "frontmatter"
---
rest of the content
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="JSON" %}
Opening and closing `;;;` lines:

```json
;;;
{
    "name": "frontmatter"
}
;;;
rest of the content
```

Or an opening `---json` line with a closing `---`:

```json
---json
{
    "name": "frontmatter"
}
---
rest of the content
```

A bare JSON object followed by an empty line also works:

```json
{
    "name": "frontmatter"
}

rest of the content
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

Each field is dynamically assigned its own scope, allowing you to write rules that target specific ones:

```yaml
---
title: 'My document'
description: "A short summary of the document's purpose."
author: 'John Doe'
---
```

Using the example above, the generated scopes would be `text.frontmatter.title`, `text.frontmatter.description`, and `text.frontmatter.author`.

A rule can then use these in its `scope:` field:

```yaml
extends: capitalization
message: "'%s' should be in title case"
level: warning
scope: text.frontmatter.title
```

This rule would then only be applied to the `title` field in the front matter.

Only string-valued fields are linted; a list or a nested map is left alone. A field can be excluded by naming its scope in [`IgnoredScopes`](/keys/ignoredscopes.md).


---

# Agent Instructions
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## Querying This Documentation
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Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://docs.vale.sh/formats/front-matter.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

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