# StylesPath

Learn about Vale's resource directory.

{% hint style="info" %}
You can override the default `StylesPath` by manually defining a `VALE_STYLES_PATH` environment variable.
{% endhint %}

The `StylesPath` specifies where Vale should look for its external resources (e.g., styles and ignore files). The path value may be absolute or relative to the location of the parent `.vale.ini` file.

```ini
# Here's an example of a relative path:
#
# .vale.ini
# ci/
# ├── vale/
# │   ├── styles/
StylesPath = ci/vale/styles

[*.md]
# `MyStyle` is a directory within
# `ci/vale/styles`.
BasedOnStyles = MyStyle
```

If you don’t specify a `StylesPath` in your `.vale.ini` file, Vale will use its default location:

| OS      | Search Locations                                |
| ------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Windows | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\vale\styles`                    |
| macOS   | `$HOME/Library/Application Support/vale/styles` |
| Unix    | `$XDG_DATA_HOME/vale/styles`                    |

(Run the `vale ls-dirs` command to see the exact locations on your system.)

## [Structure](#structure)

A `StylesPath` contains two types of entries: *styles* and the special `config` directory.

```console
$ tree styles
├───config     <-- Special directory
└───write-good <-- A style
```

The `config` directory is used internally by Vale and contains the following:

| Directory                               | Description                                |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| [`vocabularies`](/keys/vocabularies.md) | Project-specific terminology lists.        |
| [`dictionaries`](/checks/spelling.md)   | Hunspell-compatible spelling dictionaries. |
| [`templates`](/topics/templates.md)     | Output format templates.                   |
| [`actions`](/topics/actions.md)         | Solutions to your custom rules.            |
| [`filters`](/topics/filters.md)         | Configuration filters.                     |
| [`scripts`](/checks/script.md)          | Tengo scripts.                             |

[Views](/topics/views.md) [Packages](/keys/packages.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/keys/stylespath.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.