Config reference

This page is the lookup material for merlon.config.json. It gives the feature keys’ defaults and the page that documents each key, then the review thresholds, the schema-only fields and the JSON Schema file. Config essentials covers the minimal config and the paths every command resolves from.

Feature settings

Each feature’s spec defines its config keys and what they do. This table gives their defaults, and Config key map links each spec.

Key	Default
compile.links.markBroken	true
lint.links.enabled	true
lint.links.severity	"error"
lint.links.config	none
lint.links.target	none
lint.codeExtensions	[]
lint.dataExtensions	[]
lint.paths.severity	"off"
lint.paths.searchRoots	[]
lint.paths.generated	[]
lint.paths.vocabulary	[]
backup.enabled	false
backup.dir	.caches/backups
backup.ext	""
diagnostics.splitFiles	false
diagnostics.dir	none
diagnostics.errorsFile	none
diagnostics.warningsFile	none

Config key map

This table links the page that documents each key:

Key	Documented in
compileOrder, guides[].name, guides[].path, outputDir, outputFile, refs.registryFile, compile.outputFile	Minimal config and Path layout
compile.scopeRoot	Shared glossary
review.*	Review thresholds on this page
configVersion, standardVersion, protocolVersion	Minimal config
refs.slugAlgorithm	Schema-only fields on this page
source, guides[].source, guides[].splitLevel	Consumer migration
compile.preambleSection	Project layout
banner, sourceTags, compile.includeBanner, compile.sourceTags	Source tags and banner
compile.manifest, compile.sectionsHeading	Manifest compile order
compile.title	Compile API
compile.hooks, compile.hooksConfig	Default compile hooks, and the core Compile hooks index for the hook pipeline
compile.stripAnchors	stripAnchors
compile.crossGuideLinks	Cross-guide link rewriting
compile.links.*, lint.links.enabled, lint.links.severity, lint.codeExtensions, lint.dataExtensions	Built-in link validation
lint.paths.*	Path resolution in prose
lint.links.config, lint.links.target, lint.markdownlint.*, vale.*	Optional linters
scan.*	Documentation coverage scan
standaloneGuides	Coverage in check
backup.* and the --backup flags	Compile output backup
diagnostics.* and --diagnostics-dir, --errors-file, --warnings-file	Check gate and Commands reference

Review thresholds

merlon review reads optional thresholds from a top-level review object. Each value is a positive integer, and omitted keys keep their defaults.

{
  "review": {
    "maxIndexEntries": 12,
    "maxShardWords": 2500,
    "minDuplicateWords": 25
  }
}

Field	Default	Role
review.maxIndexEntries	12	Most shard links one index group lists before index-size fires
review.maxShardWords	2500	Most prose words one shard holds before long-shard fires
review.minDuplicateWords	25	Fewest words a paragraph needs before duplicate-paragraph compares it across shards

merlon review also honors scan.ignore and scan.root, so paths the coverage scan skips stay out of the review. Sprawl review in Commands reference defines each signal.

Schema-only fields

Field	Notes
refs.slugAlgorithm	Informational; only github is implemented

Full schema and sample config

merlon.config.schema.json, a file in the Merlon Docs repository that the npm packages leave out, is the JSON Schema for every key. The sample guides’ config is a longer example. Its paths resolve only from the Merlon Docs repository root, so copy single keys from it.