Config Discovery

Precedence

config::discover_config_with, high→low: -d (inline YAML) > -c (file: TOML/YAML by extension) > project config > YAMLLINT_CONFIG_FILE > user-global. Precedence diagram in docs/getting-started/quickstart.md.

-d/-c/a present YAMLLINT_CONFIG_FILE trigger run-wide resolution (main::build_global_cfg); otherwise project + user-global discovery is per file via discover_per_file (cached per dir), so a monorepo gets a config per subtree. Run-wide resolution still applies the full precedence, so a project config found from the inputs precedes the env config.

Candidate walk

Project candidates run every ancestor to HOME, TOML-first (TOML_PROJECT_CONFIG_CANDIDATES: .ryl.toml > ryl.toml > .config/.ryl.toml > .config/ryl.toml > pyproject.toml [tool.ryl]) across every ancestor first, then .yamllint* in a separate full ancestor walk (find_first_yaml_candidate), so any TOML config up-tree outranks even a nearer .yamllint.

.config/ is TOML-only and anchors path globs/ignore-from-file at its parent (config_base_dir, #218). YAMLLINT_CONFIG_FILE is yamllint-only: a .toml target errors (exit 2) before the existence check (try_env_config_core, #332); use -c/-d/project discovery for ryl TOML. User-global: ryl-native <config-dir>/ryl/.ryl.toml or ryl.toml, then yamllint <config-dir>/yamllint/config.

Nothing is enabled implicitly

ryl never enables a rule that wasn't explicitly turned on (no "default-on" rules). Two cases exit 2, both stricter than yamllint:

• No config found anywhere — resolution falls back to an empty config (ConfigContext::config_found == false), not the default preset; reports main::NO_CONFIG_ERROR. yamllint lints with extends: default.
• A resolved config that enables no rules — rules: {}, empty [rules]/[tool.ryl], a [files]-only TOML config, or one disabling everything; reports main::NO_RULES_ENABLED_ERROR. yamllint silently lints nothing.

Both via YamlLintConfig::enables_any_rule; main::no_rules_error(config_found) picks the message. The default/relaxed/empty presets stay available via extends: (YAML only). --migrate-configs (warns instead) and --list-files are exempt.