# reStructuredText

Learn how Vale handles reStructuredText content.

reStructuredText is supported through the external program [`rst2html`](http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/user/tools.html#rst2html-py). To get started, you’ll need to install the [`docutils`](https://pypi.org/project/docutils/) package:

```bash
$ pip install docutils
```

You’ll need to ensure that the `rst2html` executable is available in your `$PATH` (this should happen automatically).

The supported extensions are `.rst` and `.rest`.

By default, Vale ignores:

* [Literal blocks](https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/user/rst/quickref.html#literal-blocks).
* [Inline literals](https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/user/rst/quickref.html#inline-markup).
* URLs: See [URL handling](https://github.com/errata-ai/vale/issues/320) for more information.

## [Comments](#comments)

Vale supports comment-based configuration in reStructuredText files:

* Turn Vale off entirely:

```rst
.. vale off

This text will be ignored.

.. vale on
```

* Turn off a specific rule:

```rst
.. vale Style.Redundancy = NO

This is some text ACT test

.. vale Style.Redundancy = YES
```

* Turn off specific match(es) within a rule:

```rst
.. vale Style.Redundancy["ACT test","OTHER"] = NO

This is some text ACT test

.. vale Style.Redundancy["ACT test","OTHER"] = YES
```

* Turn on or off specific styles:

```rst
.. vale StyleName1 = YES
.. vale StyleName2 = NO
```

* Set styles (enabling them and switching off any other styles):

```rst
.. vale style = StyleName1
.. vale styles = StyleName1, StyleName2
```

[HTML](/formats/html.md) [XML](/formats/xml.md)


---

# Agent Instructions: 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:

```
GET https://docs.vale.sh/formats/restructuredtext.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
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.