proselint / alex suggestions fail the docs check in CI
proselint flags prose style issues and alex flags potentially insensitive or inconsiderate wording. Both are advisory; wiring CI to fail on any finding makes ordinary docs break the build. Scope the rules and gate deliberately.
What this error means
The docs job fails with proselint output like "typography.symbols.curly_quotes" or alex output like "gendered pronoun his", each pointing at a line and column.
docs/readme.md:3:14: alex: Be careful with "his", it may be insensitive, use "their" instead
docs/readme.md:9:1: proselint: Comma after 'e.g.' (needs a comma)Common causes
Advisory tools gated as pass/fail
proselint and alex emit suggestions. Treating every suggestion as a failure blocks normal contributions.
Checks fire on accepted domain wording
Technical terms and quoted external text trigger warnings that are correct in context.
How to fix it
Scope alex and add allowed terms
Configure alex to skip accepted words and to check only prose, so it does not block on quoted or technical terms.
// .alexrc
{
"allow": ["executed", "master-slave"],
"noBinary": true
}Disable noisy proselint checks
Turn off checks that do not suit technical docs so proselint only flags meaningful issues.
# proselint config (proselint.json)
{
"checks": { "typography.symbols.curly_quotes": false }
}How to prevent it
- Treat proselint and alex as advisory, annotating rather than blocking.
- Maintain an allow list for accepted domain wording.
- Disable checks that do not fit technical reference material.