# dense-analysis/ale

Check syntax in Vim/Neovim asynchronously and fix files, with Language Server Protocol (LSP) support

Repository: https://github.com/dense-analysis/ale
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ale
Language: Vim Script
License: BSD-2-Clause
License Family: permissive
Topics: linter, vim, syntax-checker, vim-plugin, vim-plugins, language-server-protocol, neovim-plugin, languageclient, autocomplete, lua, lua-plugin, neovim
Last push: 2026-08-21T02:38:28+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 67/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3646, "days_push": 13, "days_rel": 537, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 14016, forks 1485 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:05.313057+00:00)

## What it is
ALE (Asynchronous Lint Engine) is a Vim/Neovim plugin that provides asynchronous linting and syntax checking while you type, plus code fixing via external tools. It also acts as a Language Server Protocol client offering features like go-to-definition, completion, hover info, and symbol search.

## Use cases
- lint code in vim while typing
- check syntax errors in neovim asynchronously
- fix and format files with prettier or eslint from vim
- get LSP go-to-definition and hover in vim
- show linter warnings before saving files
- autocomplete support in vim via language server
- find references and search symbols in neovim

## When to choose
- you use Vim 8.2+ or Neovim 0.7+ and want zero-dependency asynchronous linting
- you want linting, fixing, and LSP features in a single plugin without a separate LSP client
- you want to only pay for the features you actually use

## When to avoid
- you use a modern Neovim setup already built around the built-in LSP client and nvim-lint
- you use an editor other than Vim or Neovim
- you need a full-featured IDE-like LSP experience with advanced features beyond diagnostics and navigation

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: active
- function: linter, editor, formatter
- domain: developer-tools, text-editors, programming-languages
- platform: editor-plugin, cli
- tags: vim-plugin, neovim-plugin, lsp-client, asynchronous-linting, syntax-checking, code-fixing, autocomplete, vim, neovim

## Member repositories
- dense-analysis/ale (main) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:05.313057+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:12:52.474459+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dense-analysis/ale (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:05.313057+00:00, sha 0cd521684827)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.