YINI CLI

Validate, inspect, and convert YINI files from the command line.

The YINI CLI is the official command-line tool for working with YINI files. It is designed to make everyday configuration work simple and predictable — whether you want to quickly inspect a file, validate it, or convert it to JSON, JavaScript, YAML, or XML.

As of yini-cli 1.5.0+, the CLI is aligned with the YINI 1.0.0 RC 6 specification.

If you prefer configuration that stays readable without depending on indentation, YINI CLI gives you a straightforward way to work with it from your terminal.

For the command reference, see YINI CLI usage.

Why use YINI CLI?

YINI CLI is useful when you want to:

Validate configuration files before running an app or deploying.
Inspect YINI files quickly from the terminal.
Convert YINI into JSON, JavaScript, YAML, or XML for tooling and automation.
Work with configuration that stays explicit, structured, and easy to read.

It is especially helpful for developer workflows, scripts, CI checks, and local debugging.

Install

You can either run YINI CLI directly with npx or install it globally.

Try it instantly with npx

npx yini-cli --help

This is the quickest way to try the CLI without installing it globally.

Install globally with npm

Install the CLI globally with npm:

npm install -g yini-cli

After installation, you can verify that it works with:

yini --version
yini --help

For the full command help and option reference, see the YINI CLI command reference.

Quick example

Suppose you have a file called config.yini:

^ App
name = "My App Title"
version = "1.2.3"
pageSize = 25
darkTheme = off

You can parse it like this:

yini parse config.yini

Output:

{
    "App": {
        "name": "My App Title",
        "version": "1.2.3",
        "pageSize": 25,
        "darkTheme": false
    }
}

Common commands

These are the most common yini-cli commands.

Parse a YINI file

yini parse config.yini

Output compact JSON

yini parse config.yini --compact

Output formatted JSON explicitly

yini parse config.yini --json

Output JavaScript-style object syntax

yini parse config.yini --js

Output YAML

yini parse config.yini --yaml

Output XML

yini parse config.yini --xml

Write output to a file

yini parse config.yini -o out.json

Validate a file

yini validate config.yini

Validate a file in strict mode

yini validate --strict config.yini

Validate the current directory

Validates all YINI files in the current directory and its subdirectories.

yini validate .

Validate multiple files or directories

yini validate config.yini site-config.yini src/content

Show CLI environment information

yini info

Example: Validating one YINI file

To validate one specific YINI file, pass the file path to the validate command:

yini validate config.yini

or, without installing the CLI globally:

npx yini-cli@latest validate config.yini

Example terminal output:

D:\...\my-project>yini validate config.yini
✔  Validation successful

File:     "config.yini"
Mode:     lenient
Errors:   0
Warnings: 0

You can also validate a file inside a subdirectory:

yini validate config/site-config.yini

Note: This output is only an example. The exact output may differ depending on your yini-cli version, your operating system, and your file path.

Example: Validating one YINI file with a warning

A YINI file can still be valid even if the validator reports a warning.

For example, this command validates one specific file:

yini validate basic1.yini

Example terminal output:

basic1.yini
✔  Validation successful (with warnings)

File:     "basic1.yini"
Mode:     lenient
Errors:   0
Warnings: 1

"basic1.yini"
  warning No newline at end of file.
          It's recommended to end a YINI file with a newline.

In this example, the file has no errors, so validation succeeds. The warning only says that the file should end with a newline.

Warnings are useful because they point out things that are allowed, but may be worth fixing for consistency or readability.

Note: This output is only an example. The exact output may differ depending on your yini-cli version, operating system, and file path.

Example: Validating all YINI files

To validate all YINI files in the current directory and its subdirectories, run one of these commands:

yini validate .

or, without installing the CLI globally:

npx yini-cli@latest validate .

Example terminal output:

D:\...\src\content>yini validate .
OK    "examples\advanced\3-cli-application-options.yini"
OK    "examples\advanced\5-database-connection.yini"
OK    "examples\advanced\6-feature-flags-example.yini"
OK    "examples\advanced\7-email-smtp-configuration.yini"
OK    "examples\basic\basic1.yini"
OK    "examples\basic\basic2.yini"
OK    "examples\basic\basic3.yini"
OK    "examples\basic\basic4.yini"
OK    "examples\basic\comments.yini"
OK    "examples\basic\hello-world.yini"
OK    "examples\basic\settings.yini"
OK    "examples\data-types\inline-objects\big-inline-object.yini"
OK    "examples\general\general.yini"
OK    "examples\general\lists-and-objects.yini"
OK    "examples\general\lists-and-sections.yini"
OK    "examples\general\number-formats.yini"
OK    "examples\general\strings-and-escapes.yini"
OK    "examples\indentation\indent-ex-conf1.yini"
OK    "examples\indentation\indent-ex-conf2.yini"
OK    "examples\indentation\indent-ex-conf3.yini"
OK    "examples\large-smoke-fixtures\a-corporate-saas-platform.smoke.yini"
OK    "examples\large-smoke-fixtures\b-high-security-distributed-control-system.smoke.yini"
OK    "examples\real-world\1-web-server-configuration.yini"
OK    "examples\real-world\2-user-profile-settings.yini"
OK    "examples\real-world\4-build-project-configuration.yini"
OK    "examples\real-world\sim-config.yini"
OK    "examples\structure\nested-and-structured.yini"
OK    "examples\structure\nested-sections.yini"
OK    "examples\structure\sections.yini"

Base:    "D:\...\src\content"
Mode:    lenient
Summary: 29 checked, 0 failed, 0 errors

Note: This output is only an example. The exact output may differ depending on your yini-cli version and your directory structure.

A quick look at the YINI format

YINI is a human-friendly configuration format with explicit structure, nested sections, comment support, and predictable parsing.

// This is a comment in YINI

^ App
name = 'My Title'
items = 25
darkMode = true

    ^^ Special
    primaryColor = 0x336699
    isCaching = false

That becomes:

{
    App: {
        name: 'My Title',
        items: 25,
        darkMode: true,
        Special: {
            primaryColor: 3368601,
            isCaching: false
        }
    }
}

When YINI CLI is a good fit

YINI CLI is a good fit if you want:

A simple command-line tool for structured configuration.
Human-readable config files without indentation-based structure.
Easy conversion to JSON, JavaScript, YAML, or XML.
A clear way to validate configuration during development or deployment.

Learn more

➡️ YINI format overview
What YINI is and why it exists.
➡️ Learn the YINI syntax
A simple introduction to sections, values, nesting, and comments.
➡️ Examples
See YINI examples from simple to more advanced.
➡️ YINI Specification
The formal specification for the YINI format.

Links

If you want to try the CLI or explore the project further, these links are a good place to continue.