CLI reference

Complete reference for the VectorLint command-line interface — commands, flags, and exit codes.

VectorLint runs from the command line. You invoke it against one or more files and it prints findings to standard output. This page is the complete reference for all commands, flags, and exit behavior.

Basic usage

vectorlint [flags] <file> [files...]

Run a check against one file:

vectorlint doc.md

Run against multiple files or a glob pattern:

vectorlint content/docs/**/*.md

Commands

vectorlint init

Initializes VectorLint in your project. Generates configuration files based on the mode you choose.

vectorlint init

Creates two files:

File	Location	Purpose
.vectorlint.ini	Project root	File patterns, rule packs, strictness overrides
config.toml	~/.vectorlint/	LLM provider API keys

--quick flag

vectorlint init --quick

Zero-config mode. Creates only a VECTORLINT.md file in your project root. VectorLint detects it automatically and creates a “Style Guide Compliance” rule from its contents — no .vectorlint.ini required.

vectorlint --help

Prints available commands and flags.

vectorlint --help

Flags

Flag	Description
--help	Print help and exit
--version	Print the installed VectorLint version and exit

Output

VectorLint prints findings to standard output. Each finding includes the rule that triggered it, the location in the file, the specific violation, and a suggested fix.

A file with no violations produces no output.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	No violations found — all files passed
1	One or more violations found

Exit codes make VectorLint suitable for CI pipelines. A non-zero exit blocks a merge when content fails quality checks. See CI Integration for setup examples.

Environment variables

VectorLint reads configuration from environment variables in addition to config files. Project-level .env values take precedence over the global config.toml.

Variable	Default	Description
LLM_PROVIDER	—	LLM provider to use: openai, anthropic, gemini, azure
OPENAI_API_KEY	—	API key for OpenAI
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	—	API key for Anthropic
GEMINI_API_KEY	—	API key for Google Gemini
AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY	—	API key for Azure OpenAI
SEARCH_PROVIDER	—	Search provider for technical-accuracy evaluator: perplexity
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY	—	API key for Perplexity search
CONFIDENCE_THRESHOLD	0.75	PAT pipeline confidence gate. Lower surfaces more findings; higher surfaces fewer.

For the full environment variable reference see Environment variables.

Related

• Installation — install VectorLint globally or run with npx
• Configuration — configure VectorLint for your project
• Tuning evaluation precision — adjust CONFIDENCE_THRESHOLD and strictness
• CI Integration — use exit codes to gate merges on content quality