---
id: rstcheck-core
version: "1.3.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# rstcheck-core — Checks syntax of reStructuredText and code blocks nested within it

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 995.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

rstcheck-core is a library for validating reStructuredText documents and the code blocks they contain. It checks RST syntax correctness and can validate nested code in multiple languages—Bash, Python, C/C++, JSON, XML, YAML, Doctest, and reStructuredText itself. The package depends on docutils for RST parsing and pydantic for configuration, making it suitable for integration into documentation pipelines, CI/CD workflows, or as a linting component in larger tools.

The library is actively maintained and supports current Python versions (3.10+). It offers optional extras for additional functionality: TOML configuration support, Sphinx integration, and YAML validation. With no known security vulnerabilities and a permissive MIT license, it presents a low-friction option for projects that need to enforce RST quality as part of their build or validation process.

Use it for:

- Validate RST documentation in CI/CD pipelines to catch syntax errors before publishing.
- Check code examples embedded in docstrings or documentation for correctness.
- Lint Sphinx documentation projects to ensure consistent RST formatting.
- Integrate into pre-commit hooks to validate RST changes before commit.
- Validate YAML or JSON blocks within RST documents when using optional extras.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Validates reStructuredText syntax and checks code blocks embedded within it, supporting multiple languages including Python, Bash, C/C++, JSON, XML, YAML, and Doctest.

Yes. rstcheck-core is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries no known vulnerabilities, and uses a permissive license. It solves a clear problem—validating RST and embedded code blocks—with minimal dependencies. Install it if you need RST validation in documentation workflows or CI pipelines.

## Install

pip install rstcheck-core
uv add rstcheck-core
poetry add rstcheck-core

## Installing rstcheck-core

Before you install: Low friction install with only two runtime dependencies (docutils and pydantic). Active maintenance with a release 17 days ago; repository is not archived and receives regular commits.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive, allowing use in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions—only requiring license and copyright notice retention.

Quickstart:

pip install rstcheck_core

from rstcheck_core.checker import RstChecker

checker = RstChecker()
results = checker.check_file('document.rst')

Requires Python 3.10 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package can be used as a library API or is primarily a CLI tool—the fact sheet does not clarify the primary usage pattern.
- Performance characteristics when checking large documents or many files—no benchmarking data provided.
- Whether optional extras (toml, sphinx, yaml) are needed for typical usage or only for specific workflows.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 995.6K/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

restructuredtext syntax checker, rst linter, code block validation, rst static analysis, docstring rst validation, embedded code block checker, rst documentation linter, documentation-tooling, linting, static-analysis

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/rstcheck-core) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/rstcheck-core/)