> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/dotandev/envcheck/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# File Validation

> Validate files and directories in your project

## Overview

The `files` section validates the existence of required files and directories, optionally checking file permissions. This ensures critical project files are present before running your application.

## Configuration

Each file check is defined by a `FileCheck` struct (src/config.rs:40) with the following fields:

<ParamField path="path" type="string" required>
  The file or directory path to check. Can be absolute or relative to the current directory.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="required" type="boolean" default="true">
  Whether the file or directory must exist. If `true`, validation fails when the path is not found.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="is_directory" type="boolean" default="false">
  Whether the path should be a directory. If `true`, validation fails if the path exists but is not a directory.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="permissions" type="number" optional>
  Unix file permissions in octal format (e.g., `0o755`, `0o644`). If specified, the file must have exactly these permissions.
</ParamField>

## Examples

### Basic File Check

Check that a file exists:

```yaml theme={null}
files:
  - path: .env
    required: true
  - path: package.json
    required: true
```

### Optional Files

Mark files as optional when they're not always needed:

```yaml theme={null}
files:
  - path: .env
    required: false
  - path: .env.local
    required: false
```

### Directory Validation

Check that directories exist:

```yaml theme={null}
files:
  - path: src
    required: true
    is_directory: true
  
  - path: node_modules
    required: true
    is_directory: true
```

### Permission Checks

Validate file permissions (useful for scripts and executables):

```yaml theme={null}
files:
  - path: scripts/deploy.sh
    required: true
    permissions: 755  # Executable by owner, readable by all
  
  - path: .env
    required: true
    permissions: 600  # Readable/writable by owner only
  
  - path: config.yaml
    required: true
    permissions: 644  # Readable by all, writable by owner
```

<Note>
  Permissions are specified in octal format. Common values:

  * `755`: Executable files (rwxr-xr-x)
  * `644`: Regular files (rw-r--r--)
  * `600`: Private files (rw-------)
  * `700`: Private executables (rwx------)
</Note>

## Real-World Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```yaml Node.js Project theme={null}
  version: "1"

  tools:
    - name: node
      version: ">=18.0.0"
      required: true

  files:
    - path: .env
      required: true
    - path: package.json
      required: true
  ```

  ```yaml Rust Project theme={null}
  version: "1"

  tools:
    - name: rustc
      version: ">=1.65.0"
      required: true

  files:
    - path: Cargo.toml
      required: true
    - path: src/main.rs
      required: false
    - path: src/lib.rs
      required: false
  ```

  ```yaml Django Project theme={null}
  version: "1"

  tools:
    - name: python
      version: ">=3.9.0"
      required: true

  files:
    - path: manage.py
      required: true
    - path: requirements.txt
      required: true
    - path: .env
      required: false
  ```

  ```yaml Rails Project theme={null}
  version: "1"

  tools:
    - name: ruby
      version: ">=3.0.0"
      required: true

  files:
    - path: Gemfile
      required: true
    - path: config/database.yml
      required: true
    - path: .env
      required: false
  ```

  ```yaml Go Project theme={null}
  version: "1"

  tools:
    - name: go
      version: ">=1.18.0"
      required: true

  files:
    - path: go.mod
      required: true
    - path: main.go
      required: false
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Common Use Cases

### Configuration Files

```yaml theme={null}
files:
  - path: .env
    required: true
    permissions: 600  # Keep secrets private
  
  - path: config/app.yaml
    required: true
  
  - path: docker-compose.yml
    required: false
```

### Project Structure

```yaml theme={null}
files:
  # Source directories
  - path: src
    required: true
    is_directory: true
  
  - path: tests
    required: true
    is_directory: true
  
  # Build artifacts
  - path: dist
    required: false
    is_directory: true
```

### Executable Scripts

```yaml theme={null}
files:
  - path: scripts/setup.sh
    required: true
    permissions: 755
  
  - path: scripts/deploy.sh
    required: true
    permissions: 755
  
  - path: scripts/test.sh
    required: false
    permissions: 755
```

### Language-Specific Files

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Node.js">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    files:
      - path: package.json
        required: true
      - path: package-lock.json
        required: false
      - path: tsconfig.json
        required: false
      - path: node_modules
        required: false
        is_directory: true
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Python">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    files:
      - path: requirements.txt
        required: true
      - path: setup.py
        required: false
      - path: pyproject.toml
        required: false
      - path: venv
        required: false
        is_directory: true
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Rust">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    files:
      - path: Cargo.toml
        required: true
      - path: Cargo.lock
        required: false
      - path: src
        required: true
        is_directory: true
      - path: target
        required: false
        is_directory: true
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Go">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    files:
      - path: go.mod
        required: true
      - path: go.sum
        required: false
      - path: main.go
        required: false
      - path: vendor
        required: false
        is_directory: true
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Path Resolution

Paths can be specified as:

* **Relative paths**: Resolved from the current working directory
  ```yaml theme={null}
  - path: .env
  - path: src/main.rs
  - path: config/database.yml
  ```

* **Absolute paths**: Used as-is
  ```yaml theme={null}
  - path: /etc/myapp/config.yaml
  - path: /var/log/myapp
  ```

* **Home directory**: Use `~` for home directory expansion
  ```yaml theme={null}
  - path: ~/.myapp/credentials
  - path: ~/projects/myapp/.env
  ```

## Default Behavior

From the struct definition in src/config.rs:40:

* `path`: Required field, no default
* `required`: Defaults to `true`
* `is_directory`: Defaults to `false`
* `permissions`: Defaults to `None` (no permission check)

<Warning>
  When `required: true`, validation fails if:

  * The file or directory does not exist
  * `is_directory: true` but the path is a file
  * `is_directory: false` (or omitted) but the path is a directory
  * `permissions` is set but the file has different permissions
</Warning>

<Tip>
  Combine `required: false` with permission checks to validate optional files only when they exist, ensuring correct permissions if present.
</Tip>