EkLine CLI

The EkLine CLI lets you run documentation checks locally, in CI/CD pipelines, or as part of custom integrations. Store your configuration in a file for team consistency.

Installation

Download the EkLine binary for your operating system from the Release Page.

macOS

# Download and extract
curl -L https://github.com/ekline-io/ekline-cli-binaries/releases/latest/download/ekline-cli-macos.tar.gz | tar xz

# Make executable and move to PATH
chmod +x ekline-cli
sudo mv ekline-cli /usr/local/bin/

Linux

# Download and extract
curl -L https://github.com/ekline-io/ekline-cli-binaries/releases/latest/download/ekline-cli-linux.tar.gz | tar xz

# Make executable and move to PATH
chmod +x ekline-cli
sudo mv ekline-cli /usr/local/bin/

Windows

Download ekline-cli-windows.zip from the Release Page and add to your PATH.

Quick start

Run EkLine on your documentation:

ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN --content-directory ./docs

Get your token from the EkLine Dashboard.

Tip

Set EK_TOKEN as an environment variable to avoid passing it every time:

export EK_TOKEN=your_token_here
ekline-cli --content-directory ./docs

---

Configuration file

Instead of passing flags every time, create an ekline.config.json file in your project root. This ensures consistent settings across your team.

Creating the config file

Create ekline.config.json in your project root:

{
  "contentDirectory": ["docs"],
  "styleGuide": "google",
  "ignore": ["EK00001"],
  "excludeDirectories": ["node_modules", "dist"]
}

Then run:

ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN

EkLine automatically discovers and uses the config file.

Config file discovery

EkLine searches for ekline.config.json starting from your current directory and walking up the directory tree. This supports monorepo setups where the config file lives at the root.

my-monorepo/
├── ekline.config.json    ← Found and used
├── packages/
│   └── docs/
│       └── guide.md      ← Running CLI here still finds root config
└── apps/
    └── web/

Configuration precedence

CLI arguments override config file values. This lets you use a shared config while customizing specific runs:

# Uses config file, but overrides styleGuide for this run
ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN --style-guide microsoft

Order of precedence, from highest to lowest:

1. CLI arguments
2. ekline.config.json
3. Default values

All config options

Option	Type	Description
contentDirectory	string[]	Directories to scan for documentation files
styleGuide	string	Style guide to enforce: google, microsoft, or marketing
ignore	string[]	Rule IDs to skip (for example, ["EK00001", "EK00004"])
excludeDirectories	string[]	Directories to exclude from scanning
excludeFiles	string[]	Specific files to exclude
output	string	Output path (.jsonl or .csv)
framework	string	Documentation framework: mintlify, astro, fern, docusaurus, or gitbook
openapiSpec	string	Path to OpenAPI spec for API terminology validation
changedFiles	string[]	Only check specific files (useful in CI)
changedLines	string	Path to JSON file containing changed files and their line numbers
aiSuggestions	boolean	Enable AI-powered documentation suggestions (default: false)
suggestion	boolean	Enable suggestions in output (default: true)

Example configurations

Minimal config:

{
  "contentDirectory": ["docs"]
}

Mintlify project:

{
  "contentDirectory": ["."],
  "framework": "mintlify",
  "excludeDirectories": ["node_modules", "api-reference"],
  "styleGuide": "google"
}

Monorepo with many doc sources:

{
  "contentDirectory": ["docs", "packages/sdk/docs", "guides"],
  "excludeFiles": ["CHANGELOG.md"],
  "ignore": ["EK00042"]
}

Full configuration:

{
  "contentDirectory": ["docs"],
  "framework": "astro",
  "styleGuide": "microsoft",
  "ignore": ["EK00001", "EK00004"],
  "excludeDirectories": ["node_modules", "dist", ".astro"],
  "excludeFiles": ["README.md"],
  "output": "ekline-report.jsonl",
  "aiSuggestions": true
}

CI/CD optimized config:

{
  "contentDirectory": ["docs"],
  "output": "results.jsonl",
  "changedLines": "git-diff-output.json",
  "suggestion": true
}

Caution

Never store your ekToken in the config file. Use environment variables or CI secrets instead:

export EK_TOKEN=your_token

---

Framework support

If you use a documentation framework like Mintlify, Docusaurus, or Astro, set the framework option to improve MDX file analysis.

Why this matters

Documentation frameworks use custom MDX components such as <Note>, <Card>, and <Tabs> that contain prose. Without framework awareness, EkLine might skip content inside these components.

Without framework set:

<Note>
  This text mite not be checked for spelling errors.
</Note>

The spelling error “mite” could be missed because EkLine doesn’t know <Note> has prose.

With framework: "mintlify": EkLine recognizes that <Note> is a prose component and checks the content inside, catching the “mite” → “might” error.

Supported frameworks

Framework	Value
Mintlify	mintlify
Astro	astro
Fern	fern
Docusaurus	docusaurus
GitBook	gitbook

Note

Mintlify has the most comprehensive component support. EkLine detects prose inside Mintlify components like Note, Card, Accordion, Update, Tip, Warning, and more. Support for other frameworks is expanding.

Configuring framework support

Via config file, recommended:

{
  "contentDirectory": ["."],
  "framework": "mintlify"
}

Via CLI flag:

ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN --framework mintlify

For detailed framework setup guides, see Framework Support.

---

CLI options reference

Commonly used options

Option	Short	Description
--ek-token <token>	-et	Your EkLine integration token (required)
--content-directory <paths>	-cd	Directories to scan (comma-separated)
--style-guide <guide>	-sg	Style guide: google, microsoft, marketing
--ignore <rules>	-i	Rule IDs to ignore (comma-separated)
--output <file>	-o	Output file (.jsonl or .csv)
--framework <name>	-fw	Documentation framework

All options

Option	Short	Description	Default
--ek-token <token>	-et	EkLine integration token	—
--content-directory <paths>	-cd	Directories to scan	.
--style-guide <guide>	-sg	Style guide to enforce	—
--ignore <rules>	-i	Rule IDs to skip	—
--exclude-directories <dirs>	-ed	Directories to exclude	—
--exclude-files <files>	-ef	Files to exclude	—
--output <file>	-o	Output path (.jsonl, .csv, or terminal)	Terminal
--framework <name>	-fw	Documentation framework	—
--openapi-spec <path>	-oas	OpenAPI spec for terminology	—
--changed-files <files>	-cf	Only check these files	—
--changed-lines <path>	—	Path to JSON file with changed lines	—
--ai-suggestions	—	Enable AI-powered suggestions	false
--no-suggestion	-ns	Disable suggestions in output	—
--version	-v	Show version	—
--help	-h	Show help	—

---

Examples

Basic usage

# Check docs folder with Google style guide
ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN -cd ./docs --style-guide google

Ignore specific rules

# Skip passive voice and sentence length rules
ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN -cd ./docs -i EK00001,EK00004

Export results to file

# JSON Lines format (recommended for CI)
ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN -cd ./docs -o results.jsonl

# CSV format
ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN -cd ./docs -o results.csv

Mintlify project

ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN -cd . --framework mintlify --exclude-directories api-reference

CI/CD integration

# Only check changed files (for PR workflows)
ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN --changed-files "docs/guide.md,docs/api.md"

AI-powered analysis

# Get AI suggestions in JSON Lines format
ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN -cd ./docs --ai-suggestions -o report.jsonl

Incremental CI checks

# Check only specific lines that changed (for large repos)
ekline-cli --ek-token YOUR_TOKEN --changed-lines git-diff-changes.json

---

Obtaining your token

1. Go to the EkLine Dashboard
2. Click View Integration Token
3. Copy the token.

Tip

For CI/CD, store your token as a secret environment variable:

• GitHub Actions: ${{ secrets.EK_TOKEN }}
• GitLab CI: $EK_TOKEN from CI/CD variables
• Bitbucket: $EK_TOKEN from repository variables

---

Troubleshooting

”Token required” error

Ensure you’re passing --ek-token or have EK_TOKEN set as an environment variable.

Config file not found

EkLine looks for ekline.config.json in the current directory and parent directories. Verify the file exists and is valid JSON.

Framework components not being checked

Make sure you’ve set the correct framework option. Verify your ekline.config.json has the right framework value.

Issues in MDX files not detected

If you’re using a documentation framework, set the framework option to enable proper MDX parsing. See Framework Support.

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Next steps

• Ignoring Rules — Handle false positives with inline comments or config
• Framework Support — Detailed setup for Mintlify, Astro, Fern, and more
• GitHub Actions Integration — Automate checks on every PR
• VS Code Extension — Real-time feedback while writing