dir_absent

Directory counterpart of file_absent. The match-and-fire semantics are the same as file_absent — including the .gitignore interaction. A dir_absent rule with paths: "**/target" only fires when target/ exists in the walked tree; if it’s gitignored, the walker filters it out and the rule stays silent.

Optional root_only: true (like dir_exists) restricts the check to the repository root: a directory forbidden at the root does not fire on nested directories of the same name. Optional git_tracked_only: true restricts the check to directories that contain at least one git-tracked file. With it set, a developer’s locally-built target/ (gitignored, no tracked content) doesn’t trigger; a target/ whose contents made it into git’s index does. This is the canonical “don’t let target/ be committed” semantic.

See The walker and .gitignore for the full semantics.

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Options

Option	Type	Required	Default	Description
git_tracked_only	boolean		false	Restrict matches to directories that contain at least one git-tracked file. No effect outside a git repo. Default false.
root_only	boolean		false	If true, only a directory directly at the repository root is forbidden; a nested match with the same name is allowed.

Plus the common paths, level, id, and when fields. This table is generated from the JSON Schema; option types and defaults are authoritative.

Example

A committed target build directory

The rule fires on this repository:

Cargo.toml
target/
target/debug/
target/debug/build.log

With this .alint.yml:

version: 1
rules:
  - id: no-target
    kind: dir_absent
    paths: "**/target"
    level: error

A repository without a build directory

This repository is compliant:

Cargo.toml
src/
src/main.rs

With this .alint.yml:

version: 1
rules:
  - id: no-target
    kind: dir_absent
    paths: "**/target"
    level: error