diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 556e3130..1b5882e5 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -112,3 +112,6 @@ secrets.tar
 src/*/_setuptools_scm_version.txt
 
 uv.lock
+
+# Vale styles downloaded by ``vale sync``
+styles/
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 0cd0ac39..4171919a 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -288,6 +288,33 @@ repos:
           - *uv_version
         stages: [pre-commit]
 
+      # Vale enforces prose style rules, such as banning em dashes, in
+      # reStructuredText files.
+      # The rules come from the ``ClearProse`` package pinned in ``.vale.ini``,
+      # which ``vale sync`` downloads into the (gitignored) ``styles``
+      # directory.
+      # Vale needs ``rst2html`` from Docutils on the ``PATH`` to parse
+      # reStructuredText.
+      - id: vale-sync
+        name: vale sync
+        entry: uv run --extra=dev vale sync
+        language: python
+        pass_filenames: false
+        types_or: [rst]
+        additional_dependencies:
+          - *uv_version
+        stages: [pre-commit]
+
+      - id: vale
+        name: vale
+        entry: uv run --extra=dev vale
+        language: python
+        types_or: [rst]
+        require_serial: true
+        additional_dependencies:
+          - *uv_version
+        stages: [pre-commit]
+
       - id: interrogate
         name: interrogate
         entry: uv run --extra=dev -m interrogate
diff --git a/.vale.ini b/.vale.ini
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8e3f9f74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vale.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+StylesPath = styles
+MinAlertLevel = error
+
+Packages = https://github.com/adamtheturtle/vale-style-clear-prose/releases/download/v1.1.0/ClearProse.zip
+
+[*.rst]
+BasedOnStyles = ClearProse
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 0410a509..0d6cf82b 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ optional-dependencies.dev = [
     "towncrier==25.8.0",
     "ty==0.0.65",
     "types-requests==2.33.0.20260712",
+    "vale==3.13.0.0",
     "vulture==2.16",
     "vws-python-mock==2026.8.4.2",
     "vws-test-fixtures==2023.3.5",
@@ -286,6 +287,7 @@ ignore = [
     ".git_archival.txt",
     ".pre-commit-config.yaml",
     ".prettierrc",
+    ".vale.ini",
     ".yamlfmt",
     "CHANGELOG.rst",
     "ci",