> 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/keys/minalertlevel.md).

# MinAlertLevel

Learn about how to set the minimum alert level for Vale.

```ini
StylesPath = styles
MinAlertLevel = suggestion

[*.md]
BasedOnStyles = Vale
```

The `MinAlertLevel` key allows you to set the minimum alert level that Vale will report. The supported levels are `suggestion` (default), `warning`, and `error`.

`error`-level alerts will result in a [non-zero exit code](/topics/cli.md#return-codes), while `warning`- and `suggestion`-level alerts will not. This is useful for controlling which rules will fail CI builds.

## [Overriding](#overriding)

The `MinAlertLevel` key can be overridden from the command line using the `--minAlertLevel` flag:

```bash
$ vale --minAlertLevel=warning README.md
```

This allows you to, for example, show all alerts in your editor while only running `error`-level alerts in CI.

## [Editing](#editing)

You can edit the severity of a rule by modifying its `level` in your local `.vale.ini` file:

```ini
[*.md]
BasedOnStyles = Vale

Vale.Spelling = warning
```

Related: [Vocab](/keys/vocabularies.md) [IgnoredScopes](/keys/ignoredscopes.md)


---

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