file_exists

Every glob match in paths must correspond to a real file. Use an array to accept any of several names.

- id: readme-exists
  kind: file_exists
  paths: ["README.md", "README", "README.rst"]
  root_only: true
  level: error

Fix: file_create — write a declared content. With an array of paths, the fix creates the first entry.

Optional git_tracked_only: true further requires that the matching file be in git’s index — useful for rules like “every release must commit a CHANGELOG entry” where local-only files shouldn’t satisfy the requirement. Outside a git repo, the rule fails (no file qualifies). See The walker and .gitignore for the full semantics.

Options

Option	Type	Required	Default	Description
git_tracked_only	git tracked only
respect_gitignore	per rule respect gitignore
root_only	boolean		false	If true, only files directly at the repository root satisfy the rule.

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