chous config (.chous DSL)

Contract

A .chous file is written in chous's own keyword DSL, not YAML and not JSON. Apply this whenever you author, generate, or edit a .chous file (including a chous init baseline). Every rule is a line of DSL keywords; there are no key: value maps, no quoted-glob objects, and no braces.

Rules (the complete DSL)

1. Comments start with #. Blank lines are ignored.
2. Existence — require entries to be present:

must have [name1, name2, ...] One must have keyword, then a single square-bracketed, comma-separated list. Never required:, mustExist:, files:, or a YAML sequence.

1. Global naming — enforce a filename case for a glob:

use <case> for files <glob> The keyword use, then the case, then the literal words for files, then the glob. The glob comes after for files. The four case keywords are spelled EXACTLY: kebab-case PascalCase camelCase snake_case Never a mapping like naming: kebab-case or "**/*.ts": kebab-case.

1. Directory scope — group rules that apply only inside a directory:

in <dir>: then the rules indented beneath it. Blocks nest (in app: then, indented, in components:). Never a JSON/YAML object like "app": { ... } or a bare app: key.

1. Whitelist — the entries permitted inside a block:

allow [name1, name2, ...] — keyword allow then a bracketed list. Never allowed:, whitelist:, only:, or include:.

1. Strict — forbid everything not whitelisted in the block:

the bare keyword strict on its own line. Never strict: true, forbidUnknown: true, or additionalProperties: false.

1. Move — suggest relocating files:

move <glob> to <dest> — keyword move, the glob, the keyword to, the destination. Never a move: { from, to } object or a relocate: key.

1. Conditional naming — vary the case by parent directory:

append if-parent-matches <case> to a naming rule, e.g. use kebab-case for files **/*.vue if-parent-matches PascalCase. Never when, if parent, parent:, or a nested condition object.

Globs are standard: **/*.ts, *.{css,scss}, utils/**/*.ts. Indentation (2 spaces) marks block membership.

Worked examples (BEFORE = the generic YAML default → AFTER = chous DSL)

Existence

# BEFORE (wrong — YAML)
required:
  - package.json
  - tsconfig.json
# AFTER (chous)
must have [package.json, tsconfig.json]

Global naming

# BEFORE (wrong — quoted-glob map)
"**/*.ts": kebab-case
# AFTER (chous)
use kebab-case for files **/*.ts

Directory scope + whitelist + strict

# BEFORE (wrong — JSON object)
"app": { "allowed": ["pages","components"], "strict": true }
# AFTER (chous)
in app:
  allow [pages, components]
  strict

Move

# BEFORE (wrong — object)
move: { from: "*.css", to: "styles" }
# AFTER (chous)
move *.css to styles

Conditional naming

# BEFORE (wrong — condition object)
- glob: "**/*.vue"
  case: kebab-case
  when: { parent: PascalCase }
# AFTER (chous)
use kebab-case for files **/*.vue if-parent-matches PascalCase

Edge cases & exceptions

• Nesting: an inner in <dir>: header is indented under its outer block; its rules indent one level

further. strict applies only to the block it sits in, not to parent or sibling blocks.

• Multiple naming rules: write one use <case> for files <glob> line per glob; they stack.
• Presets: chous init seeds a baseline from a preset (basic, js, ts, nextjs, nuxt4,

go, python). Extend it by adding DSL lines — never rewrite it as JSON.

• Brace globs: group extensions with {a,b}, e.g. move *.{png,jpg,svg} to images.
• must have vs allow: must have asserts entries EXIST; allow + strict asserts NOTHING ELSE

exists. They are different rules; use both when a directory is fixed.

Do / Don't

• Do use PascalCase for files **/*.vue — Don't "**/*.vue": PascalCase
• Do must have [package.json] — Don't required: [package.json]
• Do bare strict — Don't strict: true
• Do allow [pages, components] — Don't allowed: [pages, components]
• Do move *.css to styles — Don't move: {from: "*.css", to: "styles"}
• Do in src: (with a colon) — Don't src: {} or "src": {}
• Do ... if-parent-matches PascalCase — Don't ... when parent is PascalCase

Common mistakes

• Emitting YAML or JSON because most linters use it — chous does not; it is a keyword DSL.
• Inventing keys (rules:, patterns:, conventions:, naming:) — none exist in chous.
• strict: true instead of the bare keyword strict.
• Putting the glob before the case (use **/*.ts kebab-case) — the glob follows for files.
• Misspelling case keywords (kebab, Pascal, snake-case) — they are exactly kebab-case,

PascalCase, camelCase, snake_case.

• Using when/if for the parent condition instead of if-parent-matches.

Quick checklist

• ] Existence via must have [ ... ]
• ] Naming via use <case> for files <glob>, glob after for files
• ] Case keyword is exactly kebab-case / PascalCase / camelCase / snake_case
• ] Directory scope via in <dir>: blocks, rules indented
• ] Whitelist via allow [ ... ]; forbid-others via bare strict
• ] Relocation via move <glob> to <dest>
• ] Parent condition via if-parent-matches <case>
• ] No YAML/JSON syntax anywhere