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document-start

What this rule does

Requires or forbids the YAML document start marker (---).

Why this matters

  • Multi-document streams. Files containing more than one YAML document need --- to separate them.
  • Explicit intent. Requiring --- even in single-document files makes the format unambiguous and clearly signals that the file is YAML rather than another similar markup.

Configuration

[rules.document-start]
level = "error"
present = true
Option Default Description
present true When true, require a --- marker at the start of every document. When false, forbid it.

Examples

✅ Allowed (with present: true)

---
title: example

❌ Reported (with present: true)

title: example

✅ Allowed (with present: false)

title: example

Automatic fixing

This rule does not auto-fix; add or remove the marker manually.

  • document-end — the matching rule for the ... end marker.