Vault Lint Checks

Vault lint checks reference

The catalog of read-only checks vault_lint.py runs over agent-shaped MemoryVault entries. Each check is (entry) -> list[Finding] where a Finding carries check_id, severity (error / warn / info), entry_path, message, and a suggestion. The lint never mutates the vault — it surfaces candidate fixes for operator review (A3). It targets only entries carrying the core frontmatter trio (kind + status + created); the operator's free-form personal notes are skipped.

⚡ Quick Reference

Question	Answer
What runs the checks?	harness/skills/memory/scripts/vault_lint.py (the check registry + runner).
How do I see findings?	python3 harness/skills/memory/scripts/vault_lint.py --format text (or --format json).
Which entries get linted?	Only agent-shaped entries (core frontmatter trio kind+status+created); free-form personal notes are skipped (DC-3).
Does the lint ever edit the vault?	No. Read-only / surface-only (DC-1). It reports + suggests; the operator applies. Auto-fix is deferred to V5-5.
Where does the schema come from?	save.py — the lint imports its validators + FRONTMATTER_FIELD_ORDER / REQUIRED_FRONTMATTER_FIELDS so the two can't drift (DC-2).
How do I run a full audit report?	See Audit the vault.
Related pages	Audit the vault

Checks

Nine checks run over every agent-shaped entry. Severities: error (off-spec — needs a fix) · warn (drift or smell — review). The lint exits 0 regardless; findings are advisory.

Check ID	Severity	What it checks	Suggested-fix shape
required-field	error	A required frontmatter field (every field except supersedes) is missing.	Add the missing field in the locked order.
kebab-case	error	kind / slug / group path segments / each tag are kebab-case (^[a-z0-9-]+$; group is /-joined kebab segments).	Rename the offending value to kebab-case.
field-order	warn	The present frontmatter fields appear in the locked order (kind, status, created, updated, tags, group, slug, always_load, supersedes).	Reorder frontmatter to the locked order.
slug-filename	warn	The slug value matches the filename stem.	Rename the file to <slug>.md, or fix the slug field.
date-format	error / warn	created / updated are YYYY-MM-DD (error if malformed); updated is on or after created (warn if earlier).	Set a valid date / make updated ≥ created.
placeholder-value	warn	A frontmatter value still holds an unfilled template option-list (a | b | c).	Replace with the single chosen value.
schema-drift	warn	A frontmatter key is not in the locked schema (unknown key).	Remove the key, or confirm an intentional schema addition.
wikilink-resolution	error	Every [[link]] in the body resolves to a file in the enclosing Obsidian vault (stem- or path-wise, vault-wide).	Fix the target, create the note, or remove the link.
supersede-integrity	error / warn	supersedes: resolves to a real entry (error if dangling); the superseded entry is no longer active (warn if still active).	Fix the reference / set the target's status to superseded.

Anchor files (_index, _summary) are exempt from the kebab slug check. Bespoke shapes — the idea-incubator _summary.md + Ideas.md — are skipped entirely (DC-4); a dedicated lint for them is a follow-up. Scheduled / unattended runs are deferred to V6.

Related

• Audit the vault — the operator recipe that runs these checks and reads the report.