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Validate Command

The validate command checks your dottie.yaml configuration for errors before applying changes.

Usage​

> dottie validate <profile>

Options​

OptionShortDescription
--config-cPath to configuration file (default: dottie.yaml)

Examples​

Validate a specific profile​

> dottie validate default

Validate with custom config path​

> dottie validate default -c /path/to/dottie.yaml

List available profiles​

Run without specifying a profile to see available options:

> dottie validate

Output​

Valid Configuration​

Configuration is valid.
Profile 'default' contains:
  - 5 dotfile entries
  - 3 APT packages
  - 2 GitHub releases

Invalid Configuration​

Configuration validation failed:
  • Line 12: Unknown field 'soruce' - did you mean 'source'?
  • Line 15: Target path '~/.config/nvim' must start with ~/

What Gets Validated​

  • YAML syntax correctness
  • Required fields are present (source, target for dotfiles)
  • Profile inheritance chains are valid (no circular references)
  • Referenced files exist in the repository
  • Install block entries have required fields

Best Practices​

  1. Always validate before applying - Run validate before link or install
  2. Validate in CI - Add validation to your CI pipeline to catch config errors early
  3. Validate after edits - Re-validate whenever you modify your configuration