> 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.

Linting front matter fields is supported in Markdown, AsciiDoc, reStructuredText, MDX, and Org files.

There are 3 supported front matter types – YAML, TOML, and JSON:

![Front Matter Formats](/files/830ee75605f7ba7f0d5a158b3f9461b7e9552445)

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.

[Markdown](/formats/markdown.md)


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

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

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.